Heat Therapy to cure Low Back Pain

While the overall qualities of heat and heat have long been associated with comfort and relaxation, heat therapy goes even further and can ease the pain and healing benefits for many types of back pain.

In addition, heat treatment for lower back warming heat pads, heat wraps, hot baths, hot gel packs, etc. Is cheap and easy to do.

This article provides a review of how heat treatment interacts with the body to relieve pain, as well as options on how to apply heat therapy to help relieve many types of back pain.

                     

How Heat Therapy Works

Many episodes of tension in the lower back musculature and tension resulting from excessive stresses, creating tension in the muscles and soft tissues around the lower spine. Therefore, this limits the proper circulation and sends signals of pain to the brain.

Muscle spasms in the lower back can create sensations that can range from a slight discomfort to an excruciating back pain. Heat therapy can help relieve the pain of muscle spasms and associated sealing in the lower back.

The application of heat therapy can help alleviate back pain through several mechanisms:

Therapy by heat dilates the blood vessels of the muscles surrounding the lumbar spine. This process increases the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, helping to heal the damaged tissues.

Heat stimulates sensory receptors in the skin, which means that applying heat to lower-back transmissions decrease brain pain signals and relieve some of the discomfort.

The application of heat facilitates the stretching of soft tissues around the spine, including muscles, connective tissues and adhesions. Therefore, the heat treatment, there will be a decrease in stiffness and injury, with increased flexibility and general feeling of comfort. Flexibility is very important for a healthy back.

There are several other important benefits of heat therapy that make it so appealing. Compared to most therapies, heat therapy is quite cheap (and in many cases is free - like taking a hot bath). Heat therapy is also easy to do - you can do at home while relaxing, and portable thermal wraps also make a choice 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. With regard to most medical treatments available, heat therapy is attractive to many people because it is a non-pharmaceutical non-invasive and to relieve back pain in form.

How applying a heat treatment

More effective heat therapy products are those that can keep their heat at the right temperature. "Hot" is the right temperature. Patients should not have their hot heat source to the point of burning the skin. The desired effect is that heat enters the muscles. Simply increase the skin temperature will do little to reduce discomfort.

In many cases, the more heat is applied, the better. The time required to apply heat, however, is based on the type and / or extent of the injury. For a very small pressure, can be sufficient quantities of short heat therapy (such as 15 to 20 minutes). For more intense lesions, longer heat sessions may be more advantageous (up to 30 minutes to 2 hours or more).

Types of Heat Therapy

Two options for heat therapy include moist heat and dry heat.

• Dry heat, such as electric heating pads and saunas, remove moisture from the body and may leave the skin dehydrated. However, some people think that dry heat is the easiest to apply and feels better.
• Wet, such as hot baths, steam towels or moist warm compresses can help in the penetration of heat into the muscles, and some people think that moist heat provides better heat relief from the pain.

A specific type of heat therapy may feel better for one person than the other, and may require a bit of experimentation to determine what works best. There are many ways to apply heat to your lower back. Some common options include:

• Hot water bottle - tends to stay warm for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Electric heating pad - maintains a constant level of heat when plugged in.
• Gel packs can be heated by microwaves or sometimes heated in water and tend to heat up for about 30 minutes. Some types of gel packs provide the damp heat that some people prefer.
• Heat wraps - wraps around the lower back and at the waist and can be worn against the skin under clothing, providing comfort and several hours of low heat application.
• Hot tub, hot tub, sauna, hammam - tend to stimulate the general feelings of comfort and relaxation that can help reduce muscle spasms and pain. A whirlwind jet directed down the back can provide the added benefit of a light massage.

Finally, it is important to use sufficient insulation between the heat source and the skin to prevent overheating or burning of the skin.

When heat treatment is not an option

Note that heat should not be used in certain circumstances. For example, if the lower back is swollen or bruised, the heat should not be used. Patients should consult a doctor if they have heart disease or high blood pressure. The application of heat is not suitable in the following cases:

• dermatitis
• Deep vein thrombosis
• diabetes
• Peripheral vascular disease
• open wound
• Severe cognitive impairment

In general, if the injured area is swollen or bruised, it is preferable to apply ice or a cold compress to reduce the swelling.

In short, heat therapy is an easy and inexpensive way to provide relief from many forms of the low back pain option. It can be used alone or in combination with other therapies. Because it is so simple, often overlooked and doctors may forget to mention it, but the heat therapy used in the right way can be a valuable part of many low back pain treatment programs.