Hot Packs

Hot and cold pack applications have always been believed to have some therapeutic effects, most especially in treating minor injuries and bruises. Like cold therapy, hot packs have been discovered to have four major effects on the body tissues, which includes analgesia or pain relief, the relaxation of muscles, alterations of blood vessels, as well as relaxation effects on the connective tissues. However, like cold treatment, the application of hot packs can both have some beneficial as well as adverse effects on the patient, depending on the duration and magnitude of the application.

While it was not well established how the administration of hot packs can possibly reduce pain, experts believe at it is perhaps due to the result of raising the nerve pain thresholds or possibly by altering the speed of pain nerve fiber conduction. Furthermore, it was proven that secondary pain due to muscle spasms could be effectively alleviated through direct heat applications. However, it is generally advised that the patient should wait for the inflammation and acute stages of injury to subside before applying a hot pack on the affected area. This is mainly because early application of heat in swellings, especially when it is still prominent can cause adverse effect such as an increase in swelling and pain because of its effect on the blood vessels. But with proper and timely application by strictly following safety precautions of hot pack can efficiently relax the blood vessels and thereby opening its passage and increasing the blood flow to the injured area. The beneficial effect in the increase in blood flow includes the facilitation of the blood’s drainage triggering a washout effect, effectively purging the tissues of by-products and debris of the tissue injury.

In any muscle and ligament damage, the tissues usually undergo contractions mainly due to the guarded position of the joints due to swelling, pain and muscle spasm. Hence, any rehabilitative efforts using hot packs should also be properly complemented with minimal stretching and simple motion exercises to be able to restore joint motion. Since heat therapy has been known to effectively promote relaxation by the lengthening of collagen tissues, it significantly aids in the stretching process.

While jot packs have been proven to be highly beneficial, it should never be used in the treatment of burns, or in an abnormally sensate or damaged skin condition, as this will naturally aggravate the problem and heighten the patient’s pain. Since heat increase the flow of blood, it would also mean a considerable increase in bleeding, which generally means it should never be used on open skin and wound injuries. Furthermore, heat therapy should also be avoided in small children and pregnant women to avoid other health complications.

Hot packs, in general are considered as a form of conductive treatment. There are many physical therapists that prefer the use of absorptive gel or silica packs, hyrdocollar packs, warm bottles that are over 70 degrees Celsius carefully wrapped in thick towels to prevent direct contact and possibly risk burns. Heat treatments should be administered for about 15-20 minutes, especially in treating muscle spasms and stiff joints. Hydrotherapy an also be used as a full body treatment to relieve muscle stress. This can be done with a hot tub or a whirlpool ideally with a turbulent flow of 38-45 degrees Celsius for about 20-30 minutes.

So while heat therapy is generally accepted as a viable treatment throughout the years, it should also be done with proper caution and care, lest you will only aggravate the condition. So before you entertain the thought of applying hot packs on your injury, be sure that you review the guidelines in order to fully enjoy its therapeutic benefits.