We treat everything from arthritis to muscle strains and inflammation with ice packs or heating pads. Surface heat and cold therapy are very effective for a variety of conditions and injuries and are easily available. The hardest part is knowing which conditions are for hot and which conditions are cold. Sometimes a treatment includes both. As a general rule, use ice for cuts or severe pain, inflammation, and swelling. Use heat for muscle pain or stiffness. Heat therapy works by improving circulation and blood flow in a specific area due to increased temperature. Even a slight increase in the temperature of the affected area can relieve discomfort and increase muscle flexibility. Heat therapy can relieve muscle spasms and heal damaged tissue.
1. Infrared
Infrared radiation therapy, also called light therapy, is used in physiotherapy to treat acute or chronic pain (mainly joint and muscle pain) in patients. In infrared radiation therapy, different wavelengths of light are used to affect the affected parts of the body. is used It is radiated and directed to these parts. One of the main features of infrared rays is that this light can penetrate the layers of the skin and have a deeper effect, which in turn can be more effective in relieving pain.
Using an infrared physiotherapy lamp is a natural and painless method that can provide many health benefits without harming the skin. Infrared radiation (IR) or thermal radiation is a group of energies in the full electromagnetic spectrum. Infrared radiation is radiation with wavelengths longer than the visible spectrum and extends into the microwave region, which is from 760 nm to 1 mm. IR radiation is emitted from the sun.
An infrared lamp is a heat lamp with a color filter for red light. This lamp uses a special mechanism to prevent emitted light that is not in the infrared range. The light emitted from an infrared lamp is the same red light that shines on the skin as heat and penetrates three inches deep into the tissue.
Infrared uses
- Reduce inflammation
- Pain control
- Reduction of muscle and joint pains
- Care and acceleration of wound healing
- Tissue repair
Unlike ultraviolet rays, the light emitted from infrared lamps helps to regenerate cells quickly. Infrared light increases blood circulation, thereby increasing oxygenation to the tissues. By increasing oxygen supply to tissues, tissue regeneration occurs in deeper layers and pain is reduced. In general, the infrared light emitted by infrared physiotherapy lamps is the same heat that people feel when exposed to sunlight.
There are two ways to use an infrared lamp: on and off. The properties of the infrared lamp can reduce chronic pain not only in the skin, but also in muscle areas and other body tissues.
Physiotherapy infrared light reduces chronic pain by increasing the number of endorphins produced in the body. These pains can be caused by accidents, physical injuries or aging.
- Reducing pain in the neck and shoulder areas
- Reducing pain in the body’s skeletal tissue
- After surgeries and fractures
- Reducing pain in muscle tissue such as spasms or muscle pains after exercise
- Reducing pain in joint tissue
- Reducing pain caused by sports injuries,
- Improve endorphin levels
The infrared heat lamp can be used for most chronic musculoskeletal pain, including:
- Neck spasm
- Cervical spondylitis
- frozen shoulder
- Pain in and around the shoulder
- back ache
- Stiffened muscles and tendons
Cases of not using infrared
- Pregnant women in the abdomen
- People have metal implants
- People who had knee replacement surgery (knee arthroplasty).
- People who underwent hip replacement surgery (hip arthroplasty).
- People who use pacemakers
- Direct radiation to the eyes
Complications of infrared radiation in physiotherapy
The side effects of infrared radiation in physiotherapy can have various causes, which are listed below some of the side effects of infrared radiation in physiotherapy:
- Burns due to the lamp being too close to the body
- Damage to the eyes due to direct radiation
Important points when using infrared lamps
Although researchers have proven that infrared therapy does not have so many side effects and harm, the following points should be taken into account when using them.
- Infrared radiation can cause temporary redness on the skin, but it disappears after a few hours.
- If you use too much and don’t follow the instructions, it threatens your skin and eyes the most.
- Use safety glasses with infrared absorbing glass or wet cotton when applying around the head and face. To avoid burns, observe the distance so that the heat felt is tolerable and never be exposed to radiation for more than 10 minutes.
- Do not use this treatment in the first hours of the injury because it causes more inflammation of the injury.
- When you are exposed to the radiation of these lamps, do not use oil and lotion to lubricate your skin because the fat in them will cause eczema or burns when heated.
- It is contraindicated in patients suffering from skin cancer because it causes its aggravation.
- For people who have metal implants in their body, it is better to do it with the opinion of an expert, because the implants are metal and get heated by absorbing radiation, so if they are not exposed to this radiation, it will cause damage to the tissues adjacent to the implant. On the contrary, it is useful for silicone implants (cosmetic surgeries).
2. Paraffin bath
Paraffin therapy is one of the simple and new treatment methods, which consists of using heated paraffin oil to relieve hand and foot pain, as well as relieve joint and muscle pain. Paraffin is a white or colorless solid substance made from saturated hydrocarbons.
Warm melted paraffin can be used for heat therapy in physiotherapy. Paraffin is usually used for areas that have irregular curvature and can cover all these points completely, and its benefits are the same as other thermal massages in physiotherapy, but it also increases the softness and smoothness of the skin.
For this operation, the melting temperature of paraffin is reduced to 45-50 degrees Celsius with the help of a series of materials.
Paraffin can be safely applied directly to the skin at this temperature due to its low specific heat and low thermal conductivity. For this process, the paraffin is heated and stored in a thermostat-controlled tank, which can usually heat the paraffin to 52-57 degrees Celsius.
cryotherapy
Cold therapy can be used to treat acute inflammation and acute injury. Cold therapy equipment includes ice packs, cold rooms, ice massage, ice pools, sprays, and contrast baths. Three to four stages occur with the use of cryotherapy: the first sensation after cryotherapy is numbness. Then comes burning or pain and finally numbness. Due to the decrease in blood flow, the activity of the nerve terminals is temporarily stopped, which leads to all the above steps. The time required for this program is between 5 and 15 minutes. After 12 to 15 minutes, a deep tissue vasodilator response, called the secondary response, occurs to extreme cold (10°C or 50°F). However, this reaction seems to occur only in the end organs and its value as a protective mechanism is questionable. At least 15 minutes of cold therapy is necessary to achieve the analgesic effect. It is safe to use ice. Simple and cheap. Cold treatment (sore throat, skin allergy, nausea); Cold therapy should not be used in patients suffering from Raynaud’s phenomenon (arterial spasm) and some rheumatic diseases.
The depth of penetration depends on the amount of cold and the duration of the treatment. The body can maintain the freshness of the skin and subcutaneous tissue through the vascular bed and the vasodilation reflex with four times the normal blood flow. The body can prevent excessive heat loss in that area by reducing the blood flow in that area. The depth of penetration also depends on the intensity and duration of the cold application and the blood circulation response in the area where the cold is applied. If a person has a normal circulatory response, there is no need to worry about frostbite. However, care should be taken when applying extreme cold directly to the skin. If we want the cold to penetrate more deeply, the most effective treatment is with an ice towel, ice compress, ice massage and swimming pool. Patients should be based on the sensation of the four stages of cold therapy and the discomfort they experience when using cold. The therapist should explain this sequence and inform the patient of the expected outcome, which may include rapid pain relief.
Various cold therapy techniques
Cold therapy is a very effective technique for relieving sharp pains. Pain relief with this method may be done in one of the following ways:
- cold compress
- cold spray
- ice tub
- Cold water tub
- A towel dipped in ice
- Cold therapy gel or lotion
- Ice Pack
Physiotherapist chooses one of the above methods to treat patients according to the type of disease and the extent of the treated area.
Combining cold therapy with other treatment methods
Sometimes, to get better results, the physiotherapist may combine cold therapy with other physiotherapy methods such as massage therapy or exercise therapy. For example, for sprained ligaments, the physiotherapist recommends ice therapy to the patient along with exercise for better results.
Benefits of cold therapy in physiotherapy
Cold therapy in physiotherapy can help reduce symptoms and treat some diseases. The properties of cold therapy are generally:
- pain relief
- Reducing the swelling of joints, muscles and tendons
- Reduce joint inflammation
- Strengthening the nervous system
- Accelerate the healing of injuries
- Strengthen the immune system
- Also, cold therapy can help reduce stress and improve the patient’s sleep.
Contraindications of physiotherapy with cold therapy
- People with muscle or joint stiffness.
- Diabetic patients
- People who have poor blood circulation for any reason.
- People with sensory disorders. These people may suffer from cold but not realize it.
- Also, if you have heart problems and blood pressure, be sure to inform your physiotherapist before cold therapy.
Duration of ice therapy
If you do ice therapy for a long time, your skin will burn. For this reason, you should do physiotherapy with ice therapy several times a day and only for 10 to 15 minutes. During cold therapy, if you use an ice compress, you should never put the ice directly on the skin. Rather, you should wrap it in a towel or take an ice bath.
Mahan physiotherapy expertise in surface heat and cold therapy
Mahan Physiotherapy Clinic has an experienced and expert staff in physiotherapy using surface heat and cold therapy, which can treat all types of chronic and acute pain.