Hydrocollator moist heat Therapy
What is Thermotherapy (Heat Therapy)?
Thermotherapy is just a medical term for using heat to help your body heal. The most common tool physical therapists use is a trusty hot pack. These packs pass heat directly into your body, warming up your tissues about a half-inch deep (keep in mind that natural body fat acts like a blanket, which can keep the heat from traveling too far down).
Professional hot packs are usually made of thick canvas filled with a special gel. They are kept in a heated water bath at around 170°F (77°C) and can hold their heat for about 30 minutes.
What Does Heat Actually Do to Your Body?
Applying heat does some amazing things beneath your skin. The warmth forces your blood vessels to open up wider, which rushes fresh blood and oxygen right to the sore spot. This process:
-
Speeds up your body's natural healing power.
-
Gives your cells a boost of energy.
-
Stretches out tight, stiff tissues.
-
Forces tense muscles to relax.
-
Calms down sensitive nerve endings so you feel less pain.
How is it Applied?
There are plenty of comforting ways to get heat into your body! You can use hot packs, warm towels, wax baths, saunas, heat wraps, or steam rooms. Therapists can even use ultrasound machines to push heat super deep into your muscles.
Another fantastic option is exercising in a warm pool. The warm water helps ease nerve and joint pain while keeping swelling down. The golden rule of heat therapy: It should always feel soothing and completely comfortable. It should never be hot enough to burn you!
What Problems Can Heat Fix?
Heat is a fantastic, comforting option if you are dealing with:
-
Arthritis and stiff joints.
-
Aches from muscle sprains and strains.
-
Sore, inflamed tendons (tendonitis).
-
Tight, stiff muscles that need to be loosened up before a workout.
-
Lingering neck or back pain and muscle spasms.
-
Getting your tissues warmed up before other physical therapy treatments.
When Should You Skip the Heat?
Heat is incredibly helpful for old aches, but it can actually make certain situations worse. You should avoid heat therapy if you have:
-
A brand-new injury or fresh, angry swelling (use ice instead!).
-
Open cuts, wounds, or any active bleeding.
-
A fever.
-
Spreading cancer (malignancies).
-
A weak heart or poor blood circulation.
-
Skin that has recently received X-ray/radiation therapy.
-
Skin that is already hot, bright red, or completely numb.
Conditions like Diabetic Neuropathy where you cannot feel temperature changes normally. (If you can't feel the heat, it is dangerously easy to accidentally burn yourself without realizing it!)