Does heat help for back pain?

Heat can help with acute, non-specific back pain, if it is caused by overload or by muscular tension. In the case of muscle tension in the back, heat can really helps after 24 to 72 hours from the onset of the inflammatory process. We recommend that you seek medical advice in advance if you have any complaints.

Heat or cold for back pain?

Non-specific back pain caused by excessive or improper strain or by muscular tension should be treated with heat. Cold helps to relieve back pain due to acute inflammatory process. If in doubt, seek medical advice.

Heat for back pain

Painful tension is mainly caused by an incorrect strain, whereby the musculature hardens and thereby worsens the blood circulation. The effect of heat therapy starts with these basic triggers – by directly combating these deeper causes. Completely natural and without the side effects typical of medicines. Clinical studies have tested and proven the medical effectiveness of deep heat. The result: This form of heat application is just as effective at relieving pain as common over-the-counter medicines.

Why does heat help relieve back pain?

An effective heat treatment for back pain is particularly convincing due to long-lasting muscle relaxation and acute and clearly noticeable pain relief. As heat impulses compete with pain impulses when entering the nerve centre in the spinal cord, noticeably fewer pain stimuli reach the brain and are perceived there in a correspondingly weakened manner. However, also an improvement in the elasticity of the connective tissue and the blood circulation is achieved by means of heat in the case of back pain. The metabolism is promoted, waste materials are removed more quickly and nutrients are delivered to the painful areas more quickly.

Heat for the back: Methods to relieve back pain

There are many options for heat therapy for the back. You should not use several variants at the same time, but rather you can combine them one after the other. For example, a hot bath is a good first measure against back pain, which can then be followed by the application of a ThermaCare® HeatWrap. Make sure that the bath is not too hot so as not to cause skin irritation and not to overload the circulation.
Heat for back pain is most effective when it meets certain criteria. The temperature of the application should be around 40°C and the heat should act constantly for eight to twelve hours. During this time, the warmth should penetrate deep into the tense muscles and the painful tissue in order to relieve the tension. Last but not least, you should help relieve the tension yourself with slight movement during the application.
In the following lines we will introduce you to the different variants of heat therapy for the back.

Heat wrap to relieve back pain

Heat wraps can help relieve back pain if they meet the criteria mentioned above. Heat, which is generated by active ingredients such as capsaicin in heat wraps, usually only achieves a superficial warming effect – by over-stimulating the skin.
In contrast, ThermaCare® HeatWraps give off constant therapeutic deep heat of approx. 40°C for up to 8 hours and contain no skin-irritating substances.
As the heat penetrates deep into the tissue, the tension is released. This will relieve the pain and at the same time eliminate the cause of the pain.

2 cm

When using ThermaCare®, the tissue heats up to a depth of 2 cm.

THERMACARE® for back pain

for the treatment of muscular tension and pain in the lower back

To the product

Heat ointment for the back

Topical, i.e. external, heat applications such as ointments and creams can achieve better blood circulation in the upper layers of the skin. However, this does not work in the deeper muscle layers responsible for the tension. In addition, the application of heat containing capsaicin can easily cause skin irritation. Heat ointments for the back cannot generate deeply effective and long-lasting heat for back pain. This means that they do not work against the cause of the pain and can only relieve it temporarily.

Hot water bottle for the back

Another natural source of warmth is the conventional hot water bottle. The advantage is that you can easily use the hot water bottle at home if you have back pain. The main disadvantage, however, is the regulation of the temperature: In the case of hot water bottles, it is often too high at the beginning, meaning that there is a risk of skin irritation. The hot water bottle then cools down and the temperature quickly becomes too low – the deeply effective 40°C is not kept continuously for several hours.

Infrared lamps to relieve back pain

Infrared A rays penetrate deep into the skin and give off energy in the form of real deep heat, which is also known as pain-relieving thermal radiation. A distinction is made between local treatment using small infrared lamps, for example, and full-body treatment using special infrared heat cabins. The blood circulation is activated, muscle tension is released and blockages in joints and vertebrae are released.
The duration of use varies depending on the intensity of the pain, but is given in minutes rather than hours. This method has the disadvantage that you have to stay under the infrared heater for the duration of the treatment and are therefore restricted in your mobility. A treatment over the recommended period of 8 hours is not practically feasible.

Back pain and heat pads

Whether filled with cherry stones or millet – heat pads are also very popular for back pain. They are heated for a few minutes in the microwave or in the oven and then give off heat. As a result, the temperature of heat pads is usually slightly too high, which increases the risk of skin irritation. In addition, as with hot water bottles and infrared lamps, a constant temperature cannot be maintained for a period of 8 hours. In the case of back pain, a heat pad may have a short-term pain relieving effect, but it does not eliminate the cause of the pain.

Hot bath for back pain

Hot baths with additives such as hay flowers or going to the sauna are also suitable for loosening up the muscles. Even if the necessary high deep heat can be achieved here, it seems unlikely for most of those affected that they would expose themselves to this application of heat for the necessary duration of 8 hours at a time. In addition, make sure that the bath is not too hot in order to avoid skin irritation and not to overload the circulation.

Heat therapy for the back with ThermaCare®

There are a number of ways to treat back pain with heat, but only a few generate the right temperature or can maintain the therapeutic deep heat for several hours. The heat wraps from ThermaCare® generate precisely this deep warmth and therefore help effectively to alleviate back pain and eliminate the cause. By means of the flexible application, you can combine the heat wraps with exercise and therefore counteract your back pain quickly and in the long term.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Does heat help for back pain?: Heat can help with acute, non-specific back pain, if it is caused by overload or by muscular tension. In the case of muscle tension in the back, heat can really helps after 24 to 72 hours from the onset of the inflammatory process. We recommend that you seek medical advice in advance if you have any complaints.
Heat or cold for back pain?: Non-specific back pain caused by excessive or improper strain or by muscular tension should be treated with heat. Cold helps to relieve back pain due to acute inflammatory process. If in doubt, seek medical advice.

Heat for back pain

Contents:

Why does heat help relieve back pain?

Heat for the back: Methods to relieve back pain