Heat therapy

Therapy involving the use of heat

Heat therapy, also called thermotherapy, is the use of heat in therapy, such as for pain relief and health. It can take the form of a hot cloth, hot water bottle, ultrasound, heating pad, hydrocollator packs, whirlpool baths, cordless FIR heat therapy wraps, and others. It can be beneficial to those with arthritis and stiff muscles and injuries to the deep tissue of the skin. Heat may be an effective self care treatment for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. Heat therapy is most commonly used for rehabilitation purposes. The therapeutic effects of heat include increasing the extensibility of collagen tissues; decreasing joint stiffness; reducing pain; relieving muscle spasms; reducing inflammation, edema, and aids in the post acute phase of healing; and increasing blood flow. The increased blood flow to the affected area provides proteins, nutrients, and oxygen for better healing. There is some evidence to suggest that heat therapy can also aid in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's; as well as for cardiovascular benefits.

Heat therapy can be used for the treatment of headaches and migraines. Many people with chronic headaches also experience tight muscles in their neck and upper back. The application of constant heat to the back/upper back area can help to release the tension associated with headache pain. In order to achieve heat therapy for headaches, many use microwaveable pads which can often overheat, potentially leading to injury, and lose their heat after a few minutes. Some new products use heated water, running through pads, to maintain a constant temperature, allowing people with headaches to use hands free heat therapy in the treatment of their headache pain. However no substantial scientific evidence exist for many of these claims.

Thermotherapy increase the extensibility of collagen tissues. Using heat, it can relieve the stiffness in joints in different cases. Shortwave and Microwave heat application may reduce muscle spasms, and selective heating with microwaves can accelerate absorption of hematomas. This will, in turn, allow the stiff muscle to stretch. Ultrasounds are not absorbed significantly in homogenous muscle. Heat therapy using hyperthermia has been used to treat cancer in combination with ionizing radiation.

The immediate use of either dry or moist heat helps with preserving muscle strength and activity. There is also a great deal of pain reduction after the application of moist heat. To decide whether or not to use dry or moist heat, studies show that moist heat has enhanced healing benefits for muscle soreness and can have a positive effect in only 25% of the time of the application of the dry heat. When discussing delayed onset muscle soreness, a myogenic disease that effects the longevity and intensity of muscle soreness, it has been proven that heat can be used to reduce pain if applied within 1 hour of exercise.

Swelling is inevitable when using heating modalities, but many people are unaware of the effect they have on the volume of swelling after application. Studies show that there was an increase in edema immediately after the use of whirlpool treatments more than the use of a moist hot pack. However, 30 minutes later, it was shown that there was no difference in swelling between patients that received either heating modality. This leads us to the conclusion that moist hot packs as well as whirlpool therapy can help decrease edema in distal radius fractures. According to the available data, heat therapy for lower limb lymphoedema may be beneficial in lowering limb circumference and volume when administered over an extended length of time (1200–3600 min) at a certain skin temperature (39–42 °C) in a controlled setting (lab, hospital, or outpatient). There was no proof that heat therapy was harmful to lymphoedema patients when used within these parameters. As of right now, there is insufficient evidence to support any recommendations for the use of heat therapy for lymphoedema patients in practice.

Heat therapy is shown to be a great modality for women with dysmenorrhea, which is pain during menstruation. NSAIDs are usually the primary treatment for dysmenorrhea but are associated with adverse effects, such as indigestion, headaches, and drowsiness. Superficial moist heat is a great alternative can help calm abdominal muscle cramps associated with dysmenorrhea without the adverse effects of menstruation. Moist heat can also improve pelvic circulation that further helps reduce pain. Heat therapy is shown to assist women with pain and reduce the duration of the first stage of labor. The first stage of labor is associated with painful contractions of the cervix. Heat therapy can help calm these painful contractions while improving circulation which blocks pain signals to the brain.