In 2016, I posted an online Continuing Education credit course I developed in 2009 shortly after I retired as a physical therapist: Alternative Medicine and Physical Therapy (link). Since that course did not fully address heat and cold modalities that are used ubiquitously in orthopedic rehabilitation settings, as well as ultrasound, meditation, and friction massage, this post presents the current understanding of their effectiveness:
COLD
"Traditional cold therapy (e.g., topically icing the injured area) may not be helpful but rather act as a barrier to the recovery process." (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8173427/)"There is limited evidence from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) supporting the use of cold therapy following acute musculoskeletal injury and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS)." (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25526231/)
"There is limited overall evidence to support the use of topical heat in general; however, RCTs have shown that heat-wrap therapy provides short-term reductions in pain and disability in patients with acute low back pain - - - " (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25526231/
HEAT
* "Starting of heat treatment immediately after muscle injury promoted the regeneration of muscle fibers." (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9272698/) * study on rats
"It is increasingly clear that heat stress promotes signaling mechanisms involved in angiogenesis, muscle hypertrophy, mitochondrial biogenesis, and glucose metabolism through not only elevations in tissue temperature but also other perturbations, including increased intramyocellular calcium and enhanced energy turnover." (https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00061.2020)
ULTRASOUND
MEDITATION
"Because the studies examined many different types of meditation and mindfulness practices, and the effects of those practices are hard to measure, results from the studies have been difficult to analyze and may have been interpreted too optimistically." (https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-and-mindfulness-what-you-need-to-know)
"Meditation has proven difficult to define as it covers a wide range of dissimilar practices in different traditions." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation)
"Meditation and mindfulness practices may have a variety of health benefits and may help people improve the quality of their lives. Recent studies have investigated if meditation or mindfulness helps people manage anxiety, stress, depression, pain, or symptoms related to withdrawal from nicotine, alcohol, or opioids. Other studies have looked at the effects of meditation or mindfulness on weight control or sleep quality. However, much of the research on these topics has been preliminary or not scientifically rigorous." (https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-and-mindfulness-what-you-need-to-know)
FRICTION MASSAGE
"We can conclude by saying that with the limited evidence, there is still a lot of research to do about friction massage. A lot of RCT’s are lacking a control group, are limited by the small sample size and are only investigating the short-term effects. Therefore it is very difficult to draw conclusions regarding the specific effects of frictions in the treatment of tendinitis and other conditions." (https://www.physio-pedia.com/Friction_Massage)
