Support your Physical Therapy
If you’ve been injured or are having difficulty with physical movement due to a chronic issue, physical therapy is recommended to improve your recovery and range of motion. When in PT, a trained therapist will guide you through exercises and stretches at a pace specifically designed to guide your recovery.
Heat therapy is often a recommended treatment when going through physical therapy. While much of the progress in physical therapy will take place during your sessions, what you do outside of the sessions is also vital to the rehabilitation of your body. It is important to be conscious and careful in the recovery process. One of the easiest ways to promote healing is with heat therapy.
Applying heat to the targeted area provides so many benefits, including:
- Helping tight muscles and tissues relax
- Decreasing pain caused by tightness and spasms
- Causing vasodilation or expansion of blood vessels, increasing the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients to the area
Due to these benefits, hot packs can be used at home to treat arthritis, joint and muscle pain and chronic injuries. In all of these cases, heat will help increase your range of motion.
Heating packs, like Body Comfort's back heat pack, should be warm but not hot. Physical therapists will usually keep the packs at around 160 degrees Fahrenheit and wrap them in a towel to reduce director skin exposure. Heat is most effective when applied consistently and for extended periods of time.