It’s Getting Hot In Here!

How Heat Can Help Ease Your Pain

At My Mobile Physio we are often recommending heat therapy to assist our patients with treatment of their pain.

What does heat therapy do?

Heat therapy relaxes the muscles and hence increases tissue flexibility and helps reduce muscle spasms. Pain is relieved by providing a competing stimulus and thus blocking out the pain sensation in that area. Heat increases the blood flow and hence the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the painful area. This promotes healing and also removes the built-up lactic acid (which causes pain) from the stressed muscle.

When should you use heat therapy?

We recommend heat for the following:

• Chronic injuries like lower back ache and neck pain
• Joint and muscle stiffness, and muscular type pain
• Muscle spasms, myalgia, osteoarthritis, rheumatic disease, menstrual cramps.

How to apply your heat therapy?

Apply your heat therapy for not more than 20 minutes and as often as every 2 hours. You can use the following modalities:

• Heating pads, hot water bottle, hot damp towel, heated gel packs, wheat packs. *always keep a towel between the heating device and the skin
• Hot water dips for extremities
• Hot bath, sauna, steam, hot shower.

When you should not use heat therapy?

If you have any of these conditions, you should avoid using heat therapy until you have cleared it with you physio or doctor:

• Dermatitis
• Deep Vein Thrombosis
• Peripheral Vascular Disease
• Diabetes
• Open wounds
• Bleeding Disorder
• Pregnancy
• Lupus
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Adrenal Suppression.
• If you have reduced sensitivity or sensation you should also avoid using heat.

Potential side effects?

Of course with using heat on your body you are at risk of burns and exacerbation of inflammation. So monitor the reaction of your body to the heat and adjust as needed. If you feel the skin was getting red and overheated, try using for a shorter time. If a heat pack or hot water bottle is too strong, try relaxing in a nice warm shower or bath.

Heat can have some wonderful therapeutic effects on the body, including reducing pain. To be safe however we advise you speak with your doctor or physio to ensure it is the right therapeutic modality for you.