Moist Heat Therapy To Relieve Chronic Pain

Article Submitted by Bradley Medical Equipment. They can be reached at 423-472-4300 or email scott@bradleydme.com

Many Americans at one point in time suffer from some form of debilitating pain. Many conditions such as lower back pain, chronic arthritis, spasms & cramps, tissue trauma or neuropathy have forced many physicians to prescribe heavy pain killing drugs. These drugs may have various side effects such as memory loss, nausea, high blood pressure, and more. Even in helping alleviate the pain drugs may be habit forming and have lasting effects on a patient's long term health.

How heat therapy works

Many episodes of chronic pain result from strains and over-exertions, creating tension in the muscles and soft tissues. As a result, this restricts proper circulation and sends pain signals to the brain.

Moist Heat therapy application can help provide pain relief through several mechanisms:

• Heat therapy dilates the blood vessels of the muscles. This process increases the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, helping to heal the damaged tissue.
• Heat stimulates the sensory receptors in the skin, which means that applying heat to the afflicted area will decrease transmissions of pain signals to the brain and partially relieve the discomfort.
• Heat application facilitates stretching the soft tissues including muscles, connective tissue, and adhesions. Consequently, with heat therapy, there will be a decrease in stiffness as well as injury, with an increase in flexibility and overall feeling of comfort. Flexibility is very important for a healthy body.

Applications

There are several forms of moist heat therapy such as electric heating pads, and water circulating therapy pumps. With water circulating pumps the pads and wraps come in many shapes and sizes to accommodate any area of the body.

Many forms of heat therapy are covered by Medicare and private insurance. For more information on treatment and Insurance coverage please call Bradley Medical Equipment 423-472-4300 or email scott@bradleydme.com

For many people, heat therapy works best when combined with other treatment modalities, such as physical therapy and exercise. Relative to most medical treatments available, heat therapy is appealing to many people because it is a non-invasive and non-pharmaceutical form of chronic pain relief.