Physiotherapy clinics frequently employ hot packs as a physical therapy method. Your physical therapist (PT) applies them to your affected area. Physical therapists use towels to wrap moist heat packs placed directly on the sore spot to be treated.
What are the benefits of heat treatment?
Heat plays a significant role in stimulating blood flow to the heated area. As a result, more oxygen, proteins, and nutrients are delivered to the damaged area, hastening the tissue repair process. In addition to diminishing joint pain and stiffness, heat therapy also relaxes muscles, improves flexibility, and reduces inflammation.
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Using Hot Packs Beneficial to Whom?
Physical therapists frequently use heat packs to treat patients with particular diseases, such as:
- Arthritis
- Joint contracture
- Chronic pain
- Spastic muscle
- Chronic injury requiring a higher blood supply
Immediately following an injury, heat aids in healing by promoting increased tissue extensibility.
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How Much Time Is Allotted for Heating?
For 10 to 15 minutes, heat and hot packs are frequently applied to your body. To guarantee that you don’t overheat and avoid skin damage, you should perform regular checks. Remove the heat pack from your body if it starts to feel uncomfortable. Using heat on your skin more than once a day is not a good idea because it can damage your skin. Learn more…
Final thoughts:
Words of Advice:
If you’re seeing a physical therapist, they may apply heat to your body to assist you in healing. Prolonged exposure to heat can result in erythema ab igne, or mottled and discolored skin. Some indications suggest that this increases the probability of developing skin cancer; however, this research is not conclusive yet.
Physical therapists must work with you to increase mobility and implement an active rehabilitation program. However, hot packs are a passive treatment that demands little to no involvement on your part. As a result, the physical therapist has complete authority over your well-being, and you have no say in the matter.
Ensure that if you use hot packs at the physical therapy clinic, you also participate in active rehabilitation and exercise. Ask to be included in an active rehabilitation program if your PT employs only passive therapies like heat, ultrasound, or electrical stimulation. If your physical therapist continues to use passive treatment, it may be time to look for a new one.
