The therapeutic effects of heat include increasing the extensibility of collagen tissues; decreasing joint stiffness; reducing pain; relieving muscle spasms; reducing inflammation, edema, and aids in the post acute phase of healing; and increasing blood flow.
The increased blood flow to the affected area provides proteins, nutrients, and oxygen for better healing.
[2] There is some evidence to suggest that heat therapy can also aid in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's; as well as for cardiovascular benefits.
Such devices can be used as alternatives to chemical or plugged-in heating pads, but have not been shown to improve the clinical benefit.
Infrared (IR for short) is the part of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum comprised between 0.78 μm and 1 mm wavelength.
Heat creates higher tissue temperatures, which produces vasodilation that increases the supply of oxygen and nutrients and the elimination of carbon dioxide and metabolic waste.
[13] A study from 2005 showed heat therapy to be effective in treating leishmaniasis, a tropical parasitic skin infection.
The duration, frequency, and type of heat application may differ depending on the quality of the pain and the depth of the tissue being targeted.
According to a recent article published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2021, heat therapy, particularly local heat application (LHA), can provide pain relief, reduce muscle stiffness (increasing muscle available range of motion), and improve blood flow through vasodilation to the affected area, thereby promoting healing for chronic musculoskeletal injuries[16] Heat therapy is contraindicated in case of acute injury and bleeding disorders (because of vasodilation), tissues with a severe lack of sensitivity, scars[12] and in tissues with inadequate vascular supply (because of increased metabolic rate and demand which a tissue with poor blood supply may fail to meet resulting in ischemia).
Physical therapy heat modalities that can be utilized to treat chronic conditions include hot packs, paraffin, warm whirlpool, fluidotherapy, and thermal ultrasound.
Prolonged heat therapy can help promote tissue healing, which can be especially beneficial for chronic conditions including fibromyalgia and low back pain.
[citation needed] Many people with chronic headaches also experience tight muscles in their neck and upper back.
The application of constant heat to the back/upper back area can help to release the tension associated with headache pain.
This leads us to the conclusion that moist hot packs as well as whirlpool therapy can help decrease edema in distal-radius fractures.
Superficial moist heat is a great alternative can help calm abdominal muscle cramps associated with dysmenorrhea without the adverse effects of menstruation.
[24] Heat therapy is shown to assist women with pain and reduce the duration of the first stage of labor.