Steps for Applying Hot Pack

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Heat is incredibly healing when it comes to lower back pain and really any injury muscle. It relaxes and softens tight tissue and increases blood flow which, in turn, increases the amount of nutrients available to the injured area.  Heat also facilitates removal of toxic byproducts of an injury by increasing the rate of circulation.

Have you ever held your breath underwater until your lungs burned? Well a similar process is experienced in tight, strained muscles. Hypoxia, the medical term for a lack of oxygen, can directly cause pain which is why it’s so helpful to get tight muscles to relax.

Therapeutic heat can be applied in a variety of ways. Hot showers, hot baths, whirlpools/jacuzzis, electric heating pads and the lowly hot pack are all valid options.

If you are trying to relieve lower back pain with heat here’s what you need to know.

1.Apply heat as often as you like. Unlike ice or medication, there’s no time limit and it would be hard to over use heat therapy.

2.At the end of your daily shower, increase the water temperature and let the shower rain down on your back while you do some deep breathing and visualize your back relaxing.  Do this every day for optimum results.

3.If a jacuzzi isn’t available, a hot bath is an acceptable alternative.

4.Since we can’t lounge in our bathtubs for hours on end, the hot pack is a great heat therapy option. Electric heating pads are dry and not as effective at penetrating deep into tissue. Microwaveable hot packs are the best hot pack option (although something is better than nothing, so if all you have is a heating pad, then use it). Nuke hot packs for around 3 minutes (or however long the directions say) and apply to your back as needed.

Sometimes it’s helpful to use a towel as a barrier to blunt the heat if the hot pack is too hot. You can remove the towel as you get accustomed to the heat.

5. Play some soothing music and take deep breaths while the heat does its work. You should feel some relief within 10 to 15 minutes.

Tags: heat therapy, lower back pain, steps for applyign hot pack, steps for applying hot pack
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