How Does Heat Relieve Pain?

We hear a lot about icing and cold therapy (or cryotherapy) to treat the pain, swelling and disability of injuries and chronic joint issues, like arthritis.

But did you know that heat therapy is often actually a better choice? That’s because heat helps to clear out inflammatory chemicals and increase healing blood flow, while also loosening tight muscles, joints and other tissues.

Here’s more on how heat helps to relieve different types of pain – from nerve pain to back pain.

First the basics.

When heat is applied to a location on the body, blood vessels get bigger, allowing more blood to flow to that area. The increased blood circulation brings with it more required cells, oxygen and nutrients, to help injured tissues recover. Similarly, increased blood flow from heat helps fight inflammation by removing chemical byproducts and inflammation factors (like lactic acid) that contribute to pain and lack of mobility. In short, the boost in blood circulation from heat encourages and speeds up healing.

But the benefits of heat therapy don’t stop there. Better circulation also helps to loosen stiff joints, tight tendons, and spasming or knotted muscles; helping them to move easier, with more elasticity and greater range of motion. This can be especially useful prior to activity or a workout. The application of heat acts as a targeted warm up – getting that stiff back, joint or muscle looser and more flexible before you head out for your day.

After intense exercise, heat also helps to prevent soreness and speed recovery. In a study of college athletes, heat immediately applied after strenuous exercise was shown to be more effective than cold at preserving muscle strength, limiting exercise-related muscle damage, and increasing healing.

The sensation of heat distracts the brain from pain sensations, too, and thus provides even more pain relief. And, heat generally feels good – providing comfort and calming the nervous system, which enhances its analgesic properties.

Additionally, researchers have found that people with lower back pain who used a long-acting, continuous low-level heat wrap, like ThermaCare Back Pain Therapy heatwraps, experienced less pain than those who did not use this sort of heat treatment.

In a review of medical studies, published in the journal Postgraduate Medicine, researchers found that heat-wrap therapy reduced pain and disability in people with low back pain and provided more pain relief for muscle soreness than cold therapy. Similarly, in a U.S. Pain Foundation survey, many people reported heat therapy as helpful for neck, back and shoulder pain.

Dealing with a pinched nerve like sciatica? This can happen when muscles, tendons or other tissues put pressure on nerves, causing pain. Once the inflammation from any initial injury calms down (usually after 48 – 72 hours), you can use heat therapy to relax tight muscles around a pinched nerve, increase blood flow, aid healing, and significantly reduce nerve pain.

Other experts recommend alternating between hot and cold packs to soothe a pinched nerve. Ice the area for about 15 minutes at a time, three times a day. In between icing, apply heat pads or wraps. These can be left on for longer periods.

For convenient, on-the-go heat therapy, look for ThermaCare Heat Therapy heat wraps on Amazon and at Target, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and other retailers.