Could Heat Therapy Be the Answer to Your Muscle Pain? Exploring the Benefits
- Julian Simpson
- Dec 17, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 12, 2025
Could Heat Therapy Be the Answer to Your Muscle Pain? Exploring the Benefits
Musculoskeletal pain (MPS) is the most prevalent clinically significant pain disorder and the leading cause of disability on a global scale. The incidence of pain has increased by over 30% over the last couple of decades
Musculoskeletal pain (MPS) involves
muscles
tendons
ligaments, or
bones
Musculoskeletal pain (MPS) may manifest as acute (immediate and severe), as in the case of strains, fractures, or other traumas, or as chronic (long-lasting), as in the case of chronic inflammatory conditions or osteoarthritis (OA)
Musculoskeletal pain frequently arises due to various factors, such as:
musculoskeletal dislocations,
joint fractures,
sprains,
overuse injuries, and
posture abnormalities.
Why do we get get Musculoskeletal Pain?
sedentary lifestyles,
static working postures,
overweight and obesity,
aging,
cardiometabolic and
systemic inflammation, and
physical inactivity
What are the symptoms of Musculoskeletal Pain?
muscle pain and stiffness,
fatigue,
muscle spasms or contractures,
sleep disturbances, and
functional limitations
Neck and Shoulder Pain- Does heat application help?
Heatwraps are a potential component of a multimodal therapy or alleviating somatic muscle pain in patients experiencing cervical discomfort due to predominant muscular disorders, such as muscle spasms or contractures.
To reduce the persistent muscle contractions resulting from various issues, such as strains on the cervical spine, postural disorders, or issues that arise from biomechanical overload (such as repetitive movements or prolonged postures)
The researchers recommneded applying heat therapy once the Acute phase of pain and inflammation ends
When you have new pain in the neck and shoulder, the current medical guidelines shows that manual therapy at the chiropractor is recommended
do you get delayed onset muscle soreness after exercise? you should put heat on within 1 hour after exercise .
Back Pain- Does heat application help?
Globally, 619 million people were diagnosed with LBP in 2020; by 2050, this number is projected to rise to 843 million-with the highest incidence occurring between the ages of 50 and 55
Heat therapy is NOT recommeded when there is nerve root compression
Heat therapy IS recommeded for :
chronic degenerative disc disease,
non-specific LBP with a muscle spasm or contracture component,
postural and overuse myalgia,
Osteoarthritis(excluding the inflammatory phase)
Knee Pain- Back Pain- Does heat application help?
In the last two decades, the incidence of knee pain has increased by approximately 65%
Heat Therapy is recommended for:
muscle spasms (but not tendonitis),
overuse pathology,
early OA (non-inflammatory phase),
and indirect muscle lesions (apply HT post-acute phase resolution).
Can help prevent delayed onset muscle soreness post exercise
For more information about how we can help. Please call Health Wise Chiropractic 03 9467 7889 or book online to see one of our Chiropractors in Sunbury or Melton/Strathtulloh Today!
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We have over 30 programs on different health conditions
Each program contains
- Information about the conditions
- things to do and things to avoid
- nutrition advice
- all the stretches that are needed to help
Reference
Ventriglia G, Franco M, Magni A, Gervasoni F. Treatment Algorithms for Continuous Low-Level Heat Wrap Therapy for the Management of Musculoskeletal Pain: An Italian Position Paper. J Pain Res. 2024 Dec 3;17:4075-4084. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S452661. PMID: 39650207; PMCID: PMC11625227.
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