How do you's use heat to treat pain?

[JHuxlet]

Hi

I find heat quite useful for pain control, mostly for relaxing the muscles in my calf, shin, ankle and foot they tend to get very tight. Although at times this can make the pain more localised and sharp (in the joint), generally it makes it a little better when it's really bad. Normally I either use one or two hot water bottles and pack them around my foot and ankle with a towel wrapped around them Or I get into a bath or I get a bucket with hot water in it.

I have heard about heat packs, are these any good?

Are there any other ways to apply heat?

Any other suggestions would be good as things are getting worse.

Thank you if you answer this...

[Tuckamore]

Hello JHuxlet,

Heat is a good product for pain releif. I use warm moist heat as it is generally considered the best for penetrating into the tissues. This can be accomplished with several different methods. I apply a warm moist towel to the effected area and wrap my heating pain that I place in a good plastic bag and place that over the moist towel.

My concern for you is the sharp pain you feel in the joint after heat therapy. Heat can actually induce swelling in joints and make your condition worse. I would discuss the use of heat with your PCP.

There are multiple products available. Which one is best is strictly a personal preference. There is nothing wrong with your procedures as long as they are effective for you. Be cautious when using any form of heat not to burn your skin, especially if you have any circulatory issues.  

Best of luck to you and take care, Tuck

[Red931]

My ice paks I get from Proicetherapy.com and they are the gel type. They have the best ice paks in my opinion. I haven't found anyone else that makes one that molds to your shoulder like they do.

The Mueller Brand is available at Sports Authority and online. This is not a bad buy either.

[JHuxlet]

Hi

I have been looking on the net and found a few products. Do you use the reusable gel packs that you freeze/heat? I have found a thing that wraps around the ankle and velcros into palace and you slot the packs into pouches. Is the kinda of product you use? What brand do you use? The one  I have seen is made by Mueller.

Thanks all for your opinoins and advice.

[Red931]

You are using heat for exactly what it is intended for. You should apply heat to loosen tight muscles and ice for inflamation of joints, ligaments, and tendons.

After applying heat you should try to do some stretching exercises of the injured area and then apply ice after that. That way you have treated the muscle and the joint at the same time. These are the methods I use and they work well for me. I also apply stimulation with the ice if using heat first.

There are some decent heat paks that you can purchase that you heat in the mircowave. You can find the better ones online but drug stores have them also. Ice Paks are available as well. I have found that you get the best results with products that can be applied securely to the affected area.

[kiddthekatt]

  I use a heating pad quite often. Ihave nights when my knees are screaming and I use the heating pad. But remember use it 20 minutes on and 15 minutes off.