Heat therapy at home to control muscle pain

Heat therapy is an effective way to treat muscle stiffness and pain. Heating muscle tissue increases blood flow to the tissues, increasing the supply of oxygen and nutrients to muscle tissue and helping to flush out pain-causing toxins.

The most common ways to apply heat in the home these days are using a heating pad or hot water bottle. Some people may also take a warm bath or shower. Some clients have told me that they heated the muscle tissue with a hair dryer.

Always be careful when applying heat therapy. You need to be warm enough to get good results, but you don’t want to damage your skin. Please do not use a hair dryer as it will definitely dry out and could damage your skin. A heating pad is a good method of applying heat, but not the most effective. The heat should penetrate into the muscle tissue without burning the skin. You should be able to tolerate the heat comfortably as you feel it slowly sinking deeper into your tissues.

Moist heat is more effective than dry heat. Why? Because water conducts heat faster than air. Therefore, the moist heat will penetrate the muscle tissue more quickly and efficiently. We don’t all have a hot tub in our backyards, although I always thought it would be great. Then what do you do? Well, a warm bath or shower can really do the trick. If you are taking a bath, consider adding good old Epsom salts to your bath. They draw toxins out of the body and therefore can help cool and relax muscle tissue. Try to soak for at least 20 minutes. If you use a warm shower, you can even try a massage shower head. I got mine for about fifteen bucks. It’s not the fanciest in the world, but it really feels good.

A more portable method of applying moist heat is a trick that doulas use all the time. We call it a rice sock. It’s like the herbal therapeutic neck wraps that I make or can buy at body care stores. Only here’s the poor man’s version: grab a big old (but clean!) Tube sock. Fill it with rice. Tie a knot at the top. Heat it in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Make sure it is not too hot for your skin. If it is, wrap it in a dry towel. Put your rice sock on any sore muscles and breathe in the cozy! Rice retains some moisture from the air, so when heated, you get moist heat that you can take with you wherever you go.

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