Heat Therapy is a very useful self help technique for muscular pain. As muscular pain accounts for a large proportion of chronic pain, including most cases of back and neck pain this makes heat therapy an invaluable technique. Pain due to muscular spasm and “trigger points” can be intense but still respond well to heat.
When to use heat
Heat is great for relieving stress and muscle pain. We therefore need to identify when we are experiencing muscle pain and when we are not. Most muscle pain is caused by trigger points in muscles. A trigger point is a small localised area of muscle spasm (intense muscle contraction) within a muscle. It will feel hard, and knot like, be painful to the touch, aggravated by use of the muscle in which it is located. Pain due to trigger points is usually worse at the end of the day and relieved by rest, movement and stretching.
When not to use heat
Heat should not be used on a recent injury. In the 24-48 following an injury the body responds by becoming inflamed and swollen. The correct approach is therefore to apply ice therapy to suppress circulation and reduce unnecessary swelling. Heat increases circulation and therefore if applied too soon after an injury will exacerbate swelling and slow down the healing process. A tear of a muscle or soft tissues (ligaments, tendons and joint capsules) will be inflamed and therefore be swollen, red, warm and dysfunctional (useless). Do not apply heat in this situation. Pain following trauma can sometimes be due to a more serious injury, e.g. disc injury, spinal joint (facet joint) strain, ligament us sprain, fracture etc. If in doubt visit your doctor or make an appointment with us to rule out a more serious underlying cause of your pain. If you have recently been physically injured do not use heat. Contact adoctor or a osteopath in your area
