The Benefits of Heat Therapy for Back Pain
The overall qualities of warmth and heat have long been associated with comfort and relaxation,Warm Buddy heat therapy goes a step further and can provide both pain relief and healing benefits for many types of back pain. In addition, heat therapy for back pain is both inexpensive and easy to do.
How heat therapy works
Many episodes of lower back pain result from strains and over-exertions, creating tension in the muscles and soft tissues around the lower spine. As a result, this restricts proper circulation and sends pain signals to the brain.Muscle spasm in the lower back can create sensations that may range from mild discomfort to excruciating lower back pain. Heat therapy can help relieve pain from the muscle spasm and related tightness in the lower back.
Heat therapy application can help provide back pain relief through several mechanisms:
* Heat stimulates the sensory receptors in the skin, which means that applying heat to the lower back will decrease transmissions of pain signals to the brain and partially relieve the discomfort.
* Heat application facilitates stretching the soft tissues around the spine, including muscles, connective tissue, and adhesion. Consequently, with heat therapy, there will be a decrease in stiffness as well as injury, with an increase in flexibility and overall feeling of comfort. Flexibility is very important for a healthy back.
There are several other significant benefits of heat therapy that make it so appealing. Compared to most therapies, heat therapy is quite inexpensive. Heat therapy is also easy to do — it can be done at home while relaxing, and also make it an option while at work or in the car.
For many people, heat therapy works best when combined with other treatment modalities, such as physical therapy and exercise. Relative to most medical treatments available, heat therapy is appealing to many people because it is a non-invasive and non-pharmaceutical form of back pain relief
How to Apply Heat Therapy
The most effective heat therapy product is one of our Warm Buddy heat packs or wraps . They can maintain their heat at the proper temperature. “Warm” is the proper temperature. Patients should not have their heat source be hot to the point of burning the skin. The desired effect is for the heat to penetrate down into the muscles. Simply increasing the temperature of the skin will do little to decrease discomfort.In many instances, the longer the heat is applied, the better. The duration that one needs to apply the heat, though, is based on the type of and/or magnitude of the injury. For very minor back tension, short amounts of heat therapy may be sufficient (such as 15 to 20 minutes). For more intense injuries, longer sessions of heat may be more beneficial (such as 30 minutes to 2 hours, or more).
A foot note our heat packs can be used for hot or cold therapy depending on the injury
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