If you suffer from stiff muscles, you probably know how helpful heat therapy is. Often caused by sleeping in an uncomfortable position or from acute injury, heat provides a warm, relaxing feeling that helps reduce the pain of muscle stiffness. Heat also increases blood flow throughout the body, which speeds up the healing process of acute injuries and muscle spasms. Not only that, but heat can also relieve stress and tension from muscles. This article will highlight the benefits of heat therapy for specific conditions.
Reduces inflammation:
While heat therapy can help you with a number of ailments, it is not appropriate for all people. The use of heat can cause skin to become too warm and increase bleeding underneath the skin around the injured area. Furthermore, heat therapy may worsen a new onset of low back strains, which are the result of muscle spasm. Still, it can ease ache pains and other short-term aches. So, what should you do if you’re in pain? Try using heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, but remember to check with a doctor first.
Hot temperatures increase blood flow, relieving tight muscles and improving range of motion. Hot therapy can be used before an exercise session or stretching routine to ease the pain and stiffness in joints. Cold therapy, on the other hand, can help with inflammation of joints due to acute injury or arthritis. For this reason, warm heat should be applied prior to a workout or activity rather than following it. Remember, heat increases blood flow to the injured area, which helps reduce inflammation.
Increases blood flow:
Heat therapy is an effective way to increase blood flow to injured areas. By increasing body temperature, it increases circulation and makes muscles more flexible, resulting in reduced pain. Studies have shown that a heat wrap helps relieve pain and improve flexibility, even better than ibuprofen and paracetamol. Activated brain regions are activated during heat therapy, which may help decrease the sensation of pain. In addition to reducing pain, increased blood flow improves circulation and speeds up healing.
Other benefits of heat therapy include reducing muscle spasms and pain and promoting healing. By applying heat to the affected area, blood vessels dilate, increasing circulation and nutrient delivery to the injured tissue. Heat therapy also accelerates healing of damaged tissue. Regardless of the type of heat therapy, the goal is to reduce spasm and increase blood flow to the injured area. Heat therapy can help with many common injury conditions, including pain caused by strains, sprains, and tendonitis.
Reduces muscle spasms:
If you are suffering from muscle spasms, you may have considered applying ice to the affected area for a few minutes. Ice causes the muscles to tighten up and spasm, while heat relaxes them. Hence, heat therapy is beneficial in treating muscle spasms. It also helps reduce the swelling caused by muscle spasms. Heat therapy has several benefits that you should know about before applying it on your muscles.
The increased blood flow increases the oxygenation of damaged cells. When your muscles become chronically tight, the blood flow to them decreases and lactic acid builds up. Eventually, these cells die, as they cannot receive enough oxygen or nutrition. Heat therapy is therefore very beneficial in alleviating muscle aches and improving the blood circulation in the affected area. This treatment also provides a general feeling of comfort and relaxation. With the reduction in muscle tightness, you can perform your daily activities without much pain and stiffness.
Improves muscle strength:
In one study, heat therapy reduced delayed onset muscle soreness by 47 per cent 24 hours after an intense workout. The heat therapy also increased blood flow to the affected muscle group and increased tissue elasticity. In addition, heat therapy improves muscle recovery and decreases muscle damage. However, it can lead to a variety of side effects, including decreased muscle strength. This is why heat therapy is best applied immediately after an intense workout.
Compared to cold therapy, heat therapy is more effective for delayed onset muscle soreness than cold therapy. Although this is not a cure for delayed onset muscle soreness, it can support the recovery process and repair. Despite these risks, studies show that heat therapy is more effective in reducing muscle soreness than cold therapy. Ultimately, however, it depends on your personal preferences. For example, for athletes, heat therapy may be more beneficial than cold therapy.
Reduces pain:
Although it’s widely believed that heat therapy relieves pain, it can be dangerous when used for long periods. Heat application can increase inflammation, which can worsen conditions. Whenever possible, heat should be applied to an area over a period of 20 minutes. You should not leave it on longer than an hour. Using heat on a painful area is also not recommended if you have an infection or other health condition that needs medical attention catherinehardwicke.
The best place to use heat therapy is on stiff, spasming muscles. Back, neck, and shoulder pains are common locations for hot therapy. Heat and ice therapy should be combined for the most beneficial effects. In a recent survey, half of the respondents said they preferred heat over cold. While one-third said both were equally effective, heat is generally considered better for painful joints. Hot therapy, however, has a long list of benefits, and it’s worth a try.