Why moist heat

Any heating pads, whether they have water or gel inside, need a layer in between the source and your body to avoid burning the skin. You may see your physiotherapist using a hydrocollator, which heats pads in a thermostatically controlled water bath. The pads are put in covers before being placed on the injured area.

Any source of moist heat should be monitored throughout to ensure the skin does not overheat. When you sign-up for our newsletter, you'll be one of the first to access breaking news, savings, and coupons at your local clinic.

Learn How Moist Heat Can Help Treat Pain Most people are familiar with using hot and cold treatments for pain, but did you know that not all heat is created equal? There are many different types of heating pad products such as heating gel packs, thermal heating pads, wraps, heating towels, electric heating pads , ointments, and more. But when do you know which hot pack to use? Please note that heat should not be used in certain circumstances. For example, if you have dermatitis, deep vein thrombosis, or diabetes, heat should not be used.

Make sure to consult with your doctor if you have heart disease or hypertension. Heat application is also not suitable for open wounds or if you have Peripheral vascular disease, or severe cognitive impairment.

Here are some more instances when not to use a heating pad:. You can find different types of dry heat therapy products such as electric heating pads, bean and rice bags. Dry heat products are popular because they heat up quickly, can be less of a mess, and the heat tends to longer than moist heat packs. The downside is that dry heat therapy draws moisture out of the skin.

This can dehydrate your skin causing dryness and irritation. Moist heat therapy products are more likely to be recommended by experts. In those situations, ice therapy is a better alternative. It will slow down the metabolism and reduce any bleeding that may be present.

Despite its many advantages, heat, whether moist or dry, is not a good choice to treat swelling. This is particularly true of swelling that arises in the immediate aftermath of an acute injury. In most situations, moist heat therapy will increase skin temperature and promote increased blood circulation, which will only make the swelling worse. Despite its many benefits, moist heat should be avoided whenever there is swelling or inflammation present.

Due to the speed with which it can penetrate into the body to reach deep tissues, moist heat is a great way to relieve the pain of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness that individuals typically experience after a prolonged bout of exercise. Making a moist heating pad that you can use at home is a convenient way to reduce the daily pain and soreness experienced after a regular workout.

Here is how you can construct a heating pad for use at home:. The result will be a home made moist heating pack that you can apply to your sore or painful area for 20 minutes to get pain relief. As a result, we caution all users of this site not to regard its contents as medical, legal or other professional advice. Please do not attempt to use the information on this site to understand or treat any health or fitness problem or disease you may be experiencing.

Instead, please seek the advice and assistance of a healthcare professional in order to understand the treatments or therapies that are appropriate for your particular condition. Skip to content. Moist Heat Therapy. Last updated on Jul 3, pm. This post was helpful: 0. In Stock.