Heat therapy-- also called thermo-therapy -- can be a wonderful self-care tool that brings benefits such as muscle relaxation, pain relief, and faster healing from injuries.

It's excellent for lower back pain and other common ailments.

When used properly, heat is safe, effective, and free. And of course, it feels great!

When to Use Heat
But many people are confused about when to use heat, as opposed to ice. Here are some things you should use heat for:

• chronic lower back pain and stiffness (Most chronic back pain is not caused by injury or inflammation.)
• chronic neck pain and stiffness (Likewise, most chronic neck pain is not caused by injury or inflammation.)
• other chronic muscle pain not caused by inflammation
• muscle spasm
• trigger points
• tension headaches (at the back of the neck, where it joins the head)

How to Do Heat Therapy
Heat therapy isn't rocket science, and for the most part it comes pretty naturally (e.g. a hot bath when we need to relax). But a few tips will help you do it safely and effectively:

• Aim for warm, not hot. More isn't better with heat. Your heat source should not feel as if it is burning you.

• If your heat source is too hot, either wait for it to cool, or put an insulating towel between you and the heat.

• Apply for 15-20 minutes for minor issues. Apply up to 30 minutes for more entrenched issues.

• Put the heat source on you, rather than yourself on the heat source. In other words, put it on top of your body, rather than lying on it.

• Don't fall asleep while using heat therapy, especially if using an electric heat source.

• Don't use heat anywhere on your body if you have diabetes, deep vein thrombosis, peripheral vascular disease, or are extremely sleepy or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Don't use heat over an open wound, a fresh bruise, or over areas that have reduced sensation. Don't use heat on anything that is inflamed (swollen, red, hot). Talk to your doctor about using heat therapy if you have heart disease or hypertension.

Methods of Heat Therapy:
There are two basic types of heat: moist and dry. Moist heat is generally considered to penetrate into muscles better. However, some people prefer the feel of dry heat. It's really up to you and your preferences.

1. Heating Pad: Their main benefit is that they maintain an even heat. Their down side is that they provide dry heat. You can buy these at the drug store, of course, and these work fine. (Just don't fall asleep with one on.)

   But there's a far superior product on the market, used mostly by professionals, called a Thermophore. You can buy it online easily--just google it. It provides moist heat--the most effective kind--by pulling moisture out of the air and delivering it to you.

2. Hot Water Bottle: This old-fashioned method is just as useful as it ever was. Fill the bottle two-thirds with warm water. Wrap it in a light towel if it's too hot. The down side, of course, is that they cool off and require refilling with hot water.

3. Warm Bath:Especially great for overall relaxation. Add some lavender essential oil to make it an even more relaxing experience! Just keep it warm, not hot. And pregnant women should keep a bath luke-warm--100 degrees F--not much above body temperature. Everyone should drink a big glass of water after a bath, to replace fluids sweated off in the bath.

4. Heat Wrap: I never know what to call these things, but they're basically a fabric sack filled with a natural substance such as rice or flax seed.

   You can buy them lots of places, but they're ridiculously expensive. Look for them on sale, or make your own by filling a long tube sock with rice and tying off or sewing the end of the sock closed.

   Then heat the wrap in the microwave (two minutes usually works about right, but you'll have to experiment with your particular wrap; take care that you don't overheat it and burn yourself), and apply. They stay warm for quite a while, and they also pull moisture out of the air, providing moist heat.

   I think every household should have several of these. In my family, we use them nearly every evening in the winter, just because they feel so cozy.

5. Heated Gel Wraps:These are microwavable and tend to stay warm about 30 minutes. I don't use them, so I can't speak to their virtues, but I'm sure they're fine.

How Heat Therapy Works
Heat therapy dilates the blood vessels of the muscles to which it is applied. This brings fresh blood, which increases the amount of oxygen and nutrients coming to the muscle, helping the muscle to heal more quickly. The dilated blood vessels and increased blood and lymphatic flow also help to remove neuro-irritants in the muscles that contribute to your pain.

Heat also reduces muscle tone in chronically hypertonic or "tight" muscles. It also softens connective tissue. This helps to relieve stiffness and just generally increases your comfort.

And of course, heat contributes to overall relaxation, which almost always reduces the perception of pain. This helps long-term, too, by allowing you to unclench a chronically sore muscle, giving it a chance break the cycle of pain-spasm-pain.

If it's ice therapy you need, you can learn about it here.

And you can learn a powerful hot-and cold technique technique called contrast therapy here.

Return from Heat Therapy to Ice or Heat main page.

Go to Tacoma Massage Therapy Home Page.