Heat therapy or thermotherapy is among the most ancient forms of healing that known to man. I guess, everyone has experienced relief from therapeutic heating – long before the best heating pads came to being – thanks to our grandmas!
While a bottle filled with hot water cannot rival the best electric heating pad you can find today, it surely can give you the much needed pain relief in no time.
Therapeutic heating is a healthy, non-invasive therapy that offers relief to different muscle pain. Many people fail to realize that muscle is a main source of worse and acute pain. And muscle pain responds well to heat. Muscle pain due to spasm, cramps, and trigger points are among the most common sources of pain that many people suffer from on a day to day basis. It’s a therapeutic staple for thousands of years across different cultures.
Sadly, modern man has become dependent on medical therapeutics to a point were thermotherapy has been largely ignored by science. Although these pain medications produce their desired effects and in an instant, they come with a great price. These medicines often have unwanted effects on the human body. They may not seem obvious but these adverse effects do little harm to different body organs.
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Heat therapy vs. painkillers
As what I’ve always emphasized, we are what we eat – and that includes everything that we stuff our body. We try to be very careful when it comes to our foods. And that’s great! But when it comes to minor pains, we’re always tempted to get the easier, faster remedy – painkillers. I can’t blame you for that but the more you become dependent on these medicines, the more you expose yourself to its “killing” effects.
Thermotherapy, on the other hand, offers relief from these daily aches. Although it doesn’t guarantee a miracle cure, it’s an easily available, cheap, and drugless solution that you can do at home. You can use any heated surface to calm a sore muscle. Better yet, you can use the best rated heating pads. Similarly, there are cordless heating pads that are very versatile and can be used in different body parts – neck, back, shoulder, calf – wherever the pain is. It’s like a bandaid treatment to muscle pain but a healthier and safer compared to the more popular painkillers.
It’s not surprising that we now have numerous heating pads that offer maximum pain relief. One of which, the Sunbeam 731 500 Heating UltraHeat Technology will save you a trip to the local pharmacy as it can help with your pain experience. This UltraHeat Technology heating pad is ideal for people suffering from arthritis. Its absorbent sponge ensures penetrating pain relief for deep muscles. Its cover is also washable, so won’t have a problem.
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What heat therapy is for?
Thermotherapy such as the best moist heating pad is primarily for comfort, relaxation and reassurance. Heat can minimize symptoms from different types of body pain, duller, and lingering pain related with cramping, stiffness, and soreness. Some of the most common ails heat offers solution for:
1. Sore muscles from over-exertion – the pain caused by working your body too much. Heat is often the only treatment for this kind of pain.
2. Pain and stiffness – this pain can result from conditions such as arthritis. It can also be felt in trigger points or muscle “knots”.
3. Cramps/spasms – it is caused by menstruation, restless leg, neuropathic conditions, and postural strain. But this doesn’t include cramps due to heat exhaustion.
4. Body aches and sensitivity – this type of pain that can be felt from all over can be due to side effects of drugs, sleep deprivation, vitamin D deficiency, stress/anxiety, fibromyalgia, and rheumatic diseases.
There are different kinds of pain but these ones benefit greatly from heat therapy. Of course, you won’t expect the best moist heating pad to relieve pain from appendicitis or colic. This pain experience runs deep into the abdomen.
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What it’s not for?
But heat is not for all types of pain. In fact, it can even make conditions much worse.
Thermotherapy should never be used for fresh injury or an infection. Inflammation in its acute phase, such as in an arthritis flare-up, wouldn’t get relief from heat — perhaps, even worsening the injury. So don’t attempt to try it! Ice packs are the right way to go. Once the acute phase of inflammation has subsided, you can now use heat packs to soothe inflamed muscle or tissue.
Any fresh injury should also not be exposed to heat therapy. Don’t use heat therapy in injuries where the superficial tissue is sensitive to touch, if there is acute swelling, skin is red and hot, and the injury appears fresh.
As a general rule, thermotherapy can be used if there are no severe or obvious injuries. It is best for pain that results from muscle injuries. However, if you are unsure, don’t apply heating pads.
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So, how does the best heating pad works?
Heat works on the body in several ways such as:
• Heat is an analgesic. It can provide reassurance.
• Heat penetrates into deeper muscle tissues. It helps speed up the tissue temperature which effectively distracts the pain receptors, thus dulling the pain.
• Heat treats the “trigger points” – a common painful phenomenon that gets instant relief applying heat packs over it.
• Heat also calms the sore muscles after physical exercise.
On top of all these benefits, heat therapy is guaranteed safe. It’s a non-invasive relief for your everyday body aches and pains sans the unwanted side effects of painkillers. Some may say that the pain relief is just psychological, but there’s so much credible science behind it. Not to mention, the countless stories from heat therapy fanatics.
So, the next time you feel body pains, don’t run to the local drugstore – heating pads are there to the rescue. Happy heating!
