Warmth and Pain Relief

Many of us don’t like taking pain relief medicine unless we really have to. We’ll put up with the pain rather than take drugs for it. But there are other ways to relieve some types of pain, and some of them involve warmth. To find out more visit http://www.arthritistoday.org/conditions/osteoarthritis/treatment/heat-cold-for-pain-relief.php

There are many different types of warmth or heat treatments available – from simple neck pads to full-size spa baths. All of these use the application of heat to your body to help relieve your pain.

So why does heat work? Well, in layman’s terms it’s because the more pain you’re in the more your muscles tense and the more stressed you feel and the more pain you feel. The heat relaxes your muscles and that improves your blood flow and reduces your pain levels.

When you apply heat to all, or a particular part of your body, your body tries to restore your natural temperature. Your heart beats faster and that results in a temporary increase in your blood pressure. Having warmer blood pumping through your system expands your blood vessels, causing the blood to flow more freely. This increases your circulation, which in turn relaxes your muscles.

Although some heat treatments would need to be recommended by your doctor, there are plenty of heat pads that you can buy to help with everyday muscular problems. Specially shaped neck pillows filled with a variety of different things from cherry stones to wheat, cushions that can be microwaved for heat relief or frozen for cold compresses and pads that are specifically for warming hands or feet, can all give you relief when you need it most. What’s more, they’re a great gift, because they can be re-used and give real comfort when we need it most.