“For any acute injuries such as muscle sprains, strains, knee injuries, fractures or dislocations, heat therapy is not advised,” shares Dr. Rama. Similarly to cold therapy, heat therapy should also never be applied to open wounds and patients with circulatory problems should avoid, as well.
Increased swelling and inflammation.
Heat therapy is not recommended immediately after physical activity, after injury, or during an infection. The heat will worsen pain and prolong healing if used when the tissues are damaged or infected.
Heat dilates, or widens blood vessels, allowing more inflammation to flow to an injured or painful area. As a general rule of thumb, ice should be used if you have recently injured an area or had surgery or a procedure. Medical studies agree that 20 minutes of icing is most effective.
Heat therapy is useful for muscle spasms, myalgia, fibromyalgia, contracture, bursitis. Moist heat can be used on abscesses to help drain the abscess faster.
Heat can set off flare-ups in a vast array of chronic health conditions, from migraine and rosacea, to lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Even a healthy heart is strained by hot days.
Heart disease: Heat may increase the chances of heart attacks, heart arrhythmias, and heart failure. Asthma: Anyone with asthma, especially children, may find it more difficult to breathe on hot days.
“Heat actually has the opposite effect of ice,” Dr. Behr says. “It causes small blood vessels to open which can stimulate inflammation rather than relieve it.” Heat treatments should be used for chronic conditions to help relax and loosen tissues, and to stimulate blood flow to the area.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Heat can increase pain for people with a variety of conditions, like arthritis, in addition to making you feel miserable and increasing the risk for dehydration. Heat and humidity trigger inflammation that can make achy joints feel even worse.
If you have swelling, it's best to use ice for 24 hours, then switch to heat. If swelling isn't a problem, it's fine to use heat when you first notice joint pain. Although a heating pad can help you feel better, it can cause burns if you use it too long or the setting is too high.
When applying heat, be sure to protect yourself from direct contact with the heating source by wrapping it with a towel to prevent burns. Make sure not to fall asleep on a heating pad. Generally, heat should be applied 1-3 times a day for 10-15 minutes at a time.
Yet, leaving a heating pad on for too long can result in injury from burns and can potentially create a scenario of extreme inflammation in the body as the dilated blood vessels bring pro-inflammatory cells to the area warmed.
Nerve Pain
Pain caused by conditions such as sciatica respond well to ice or cold treatments because that temperature tends to calm inflammation and numb any soreness in the tissue. It's best to use cold when the pain is still sharp and move on to heat once that sharpness has subsided.
Too much heat “makes our hearts and our lungs and our brains and even our kidneys and other organs not work well. And so what we see as a consequence of those things is certainly people who have existing heart problems, lung problems, kidney problems, even mental health issues—they get sicker.
This product has the potential to cause skin irritation or burns. Heat discs contain iron (~2 grams) which can be harmful if ingested. If ingested, rinse mouth with water and call a Poison Control Center right away. If the heat disc contents contact your skin or eyes, rinse right away with water.
As mentioned earlier, one of the complications of diabetes is nerve damage. As nerves closer to the skin stop working properly, it can be difficult to tell by feeling if the skin is getting too hot (or too cold). If you leave a heating pad on, this can lead to inadvertent burns.
“Many people say their joint stiffness gets worse in very hot weather, and that may be at least partly related to fluid retention,” says Dr Carol Cooper, GP with an interest in rheumatology. “Keeping cool, staying in the shade and wearing natural fabrics can help.
Use of heat, such as applying heating pads to aching joints, taking hot baths or showers, or immersing painful joints in warm paraffin wax, can help relieve pain temporarily. Be careful not to burn yourself. Use heating pads for no more than 20 minutes at a time.
When an injury or inflammation (such as tendonitis or bursitis) occurs, tissues are damaged. Cold numbs the affected area, which can reduce pain and tenderness. Cold can also reduce swelling and inflammation.
When your body encounters an offending agent (like viruses, bacteria or toxic chemicals) or suffers an injury, it activates your immune system. Your immune system sends out its first responders: inflammatory cells and cytokines (substances that stimulate more inflammatory cells).
Be sure not to cause yourself more pain and avoid burns by using a towel between the heating pad and your skin. As with ice, only apply heat for about 20 minutes at a time.
For many people with an autoimmune disease, the extreme heat of summer makes their symptoms worse. It can trigger flare-ups that include excessive fatigue, muscle aches, pain, inflammation and swelling.
Research studies on the link between systemic lupus erythematosus and different weather conditions have revealed that warmer temperatures are associated with flare-ups that depend on what system or organ the disease attacks (5, 6).
Temperature shifts — bouts of extreme hot and cold, as well as abrupt changes in either direction — can exacerbate symptoms of numerous autoimmune conditions, including hyperthyroidism, lupus, and multiple sclerosis. These symptom “flare-ups” are usually temporary, but they can still be a drag.