How Often Can You Use A Heating Pad

October 28, 2021

Heating Pads for Muscle Pain Relief – iv Questions Answered

By: Natasha Trentacosta, MD

There are times when either heat or ice can exist helpful in reducing pain and encouraging healing during the body's recovery procedure from muscle pain or soreness. When information technology comes to the awarding of heat via heating pad, there are multiple health and safety considerations to make so that i can ensure they aren't making the injury worse, prolonging recovery, or introducing other bodily injury risks into the equation. Beneath are answers to four usually asked questions about the use of heating pads for the treatment of muscle soreness.

How does a heating pad work to help with sore muscles?

When muscles spasm and tighten, especially later an injury or vigorous practise or action, it closes or constricts the claret vessels. With delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) brought on by strenuous activeness, the lactic acid produced gets farther trapped by these constricted vessels. The awarding of estrus in these cases, whether from a heating pad or hot bathroom, jacuzzi, or shower, dilates the blood vessels in the area being warmed and increases claret flow, bringing cells to help heal the affected expanse. These blood cells get more than oxygen and nutrients to the site and aid in eliminating the bad stuff (like lactic acid) from the affected area, which ultimately helps eliminate muscle pain and soreness. The application of heat can besides facilitate the stretching and loosening of tight muscles, thereby helping to alleviate stiffness effectually joints. Think of it like this: imagine heating mozzarella sticks in the oven. They are much more pliable when warmed up.

There is as well a role that rut is believed to play in the gate theory of hurting. Simply put, different nerves conduct different messages (hot, cold, pressure, pain) from an expanse of the body to the brain. The brain puts all those messages together, and we then experience the sum of those letters as a sensation. If nosotros are experiencing terrible muscle aches from a rigorous hike or HIIT workout, those muscles have their pain receptors activated and working full time to send abiding pain signals back to the brain. When we apply oestrus to the expanse that is hurt, we activate different nerves to transmit this new, non-painful message to the brain, whose message can deaden or lessen the underlying nerve hurting messages.

If heating pads tin be helpful in some cases, what blazon of heating pad is best?

Don't get hurt! Heating pads can cause severe burns if they get too hot or stay on one body area likewise long. Electric heating pads utilize household current to produce heat. Consider a heating pad that either escalates heat settings then you can start at a lower stage and adjust every bit needed. Automatic close-offs or pre-set timers are additional features to consider, especially if there is an undesirable chance of accidentally falling asleep with the heating pad on. Having a cover or some fabric between the device and your skin will too help to prevent burns. Across burn concerns, electrical heating pads can as well create a fire hazard or electrocution issue. Avert 1 with multiple wires and always go along information technology away from water.

Moist heating pads use water to dampen the pad before placement on the skin. They can accomplish very high temperatures and are frequently used by physical therapists for heat therapy. It is best to avoid this type of heating pad for home use to not accidentally burn oneself. One of the safest heating pad types to consider is the disposable heating wrap or pad. These tin can be constitute in most drug stores and can exist used for like shooting fish in a barrel, user-friendly, and condom estrus therapy, which tin be applied to almost anybody region.

Is it e'er ok to fall asleep while using a heating pad?

Falling asleep while using a heating pad should always be avoided. Whether it'southward heat or ice, for that matter, there is no need to fall asleep with either on the pare as both can cause astringent and disfiguring burns. While you lot are sleeping, your torso is doing its task of recovering. Let the natural recovery exercise its job. If you are in an area of extreme cold and need added heat, brand sure the heating pad is covered past cloth or a towel to create a barrier between the pad and your skin to avoid burns. Some circulating hot water pads can be used at nighttime.

When applying a heating pad to whatsoever area of the body, how long is best?

Though in that location are no specific rules almost the length of time to use a heating pad, it should stay on for about 10-xxx minutes to be effective. If on for likewise short a time, the musculus or articulation may not have an opportunity to warm upward and feel hurting-relieving benefits. Yet, leaving a heating pad on for too long tin can result in injury from burns and can potentially create a scenario of extreme inflammation in the body every bit the dilated claret vessels bring pro-inflammatory cells to the area warmed.

While heating pads can absolutely play a role in helping a musculus injury to heal, they must exist used with extreme care and caution. Ensure you don't fall asleep while using ane and that you don't use it for too long, or permit it to become too hot in one body surface area. With safety precautions considered, the apply of a heating pad can exist a helpful tool for muscle pain relief.

Sources:

8/five/21 Electronic mail containing answers by Dr. Trentacosta to questions from VeryWell Fit.