What is Heat Therapy?
There are quite a few different natural remedies for chronic pain, such as heat therapy.
This is sometimes referred to as thermotherapy, and uses heat in various forms to help relieve your pain. Here is more information about this type of pain relief method.
How Heat Therapy Works
While heat therapy can be used for different types of chronic pain, it tends to be used most often for back pain, primarily lower back pain. There are a few different ways heat therapy can help relieve the pain without using drugs. First of all, the heat can stimulate sensory receptors that are in the skin, affecting pain signals that are sent to the brain. It is also useful because heat helps with a better flow of oxygen to the muscles, helping to repair some of the damaged tissue. With heat therapy, it is also going to stretch soft tissues around the spine, also lessening the lower back pain.
When you start using heat therapy, you may notice that you experience a soothing sensation, as if you can feel all of that tension start to soften up a bit. It might not remove the pain entirely, but it is very effective.
Methods of Using Heat Therapy
There are some different methods of using heat therapy, which depend largely on what you have available and where you are trying to administer it on the body. If you are struggling with pain in more than one extremity, you might do better using a hot bath or whirlpool hot tub to find some relief. Then there are smaller items, like a hot cloth, heating pad that uses ultrasound technology, heat therapy wraps, or even a hot water bottle.
Tips For Using Heat Therapy
When you are using heat therapy, make sure you don’t overdo it or you could burn your skin. What you want to do is aim for a low-level amount of heat for an extended period of time. People used to use a high level of heat for no more than 15-20 minutes, but continuous heat at a lower level has proved to be more effective for chronic pain. You might also want to talk to your doctor to figure out what method of heat therapy will work best for you. If it is not effective, discontinue use and try one of the other natural remedies for pain management. You have a lot to choose from.
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