Dear Dekkly

A contrast treatment (ignore the fancy name lol) just means using two opposing temps to treat i.e heat and cold... I have suggest some cold treatment because we suspect some inflammation going on in there...

Why one should be wary of a heart condition when treating with cold close to its anatomy is because there is a risk of affecting the visceral nerve supply to and from the heart and this can cause abnormal heart functions...the precaution would be to avoid treating large areas close to the heart with large exposures to cold...in this case the area of interest is almost behind where the heart is...

To be on the safe side "ice massage" technique (using an ice cube over the tender spot) may be safer. Combining this with heat treatment may be beneficial in calming the inflammation as well as relaxing the muscles in spasms that are responding due to pain...meaning you might be able to get more movement with the exercises suggested by SigMik.

It is better to have a physiotherapist assess you to see whether you have any contra-indication (again another fancy name for signs to be wary of for this kind of treatment).

I think SigMik would agree with me if I suggested to laying off any training that seems to aggravate this condition i.e cycling...only because if you keep irritating it...it flares up, then calms down...u are more likely to have scar tissue forming/adhesions...this will make it harder to treat subsequently requiring more force to loosen up...

Cheers good luck with your visit to the professionals you see and pls keep us posted with whatever progress you are making