Microsoft word - heattherapy of pain relief

ΗΕΑΤ THERAPY OF PAIN RELIEF - source : www.royalsaunas.eu New clinical research on pain offers evidence to establish a novel class of pain -- "heat responsive pain" or HRP -- which encompasses several common pain conditions that can be treated with the use of heat therapy. Researchers studying HRP have observed remarkable therapeutic benefits by using continuous low-level heat therapy for treating lower-back, upper-body and menstrual pain, all conditions that fall "For centuries, healthcare providers have used topical heat to relieve minor aches and pains, but today, we are just beginning to understand the full range of therapeutic benefits that heat offers," said pain expert Peter Vicente, Ph.D., Past-President of the American Pain Society and Clinical Health Psychologist, Riverhills Healthcare, Cincinnati, OH. "Through new clinical research, we have found that heat activates complex neurologic, vascular and metabolic mechanisms to mediate the transmission of pain signals and effectively provide relief for a variety of pain conditions." Heat Therapy More Effective Than Analgesics for Low Back Pain Relief At UMDNJ--New Jersey Medical School -Researcher Finds Heat Therapy More Effective Than Analgesics for Low Back Pain Relief -Study Published in May 15 Issue of the Journal Spine NEWARK, N.J.--(BW HealthWire)--May 15, 2002--Low level heat therapy is more effective than over-the- counter oral medications for relieving low back pain, according to the results of a nationwide study led by a sports medicine researcher at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). In the six-month study involving 371 patients, participants were given the maximum recommended non- prescription dosages of ibuprofen and acetaminophen or low level heat therapy for two days to treat The results showed that the low level heat therapy provided significantly more pain relief beginning on the first day of treatment than the oral analgesics and that the effects lasted more than 48 hours after "Although clinical guidelines in the U.S. have recommended the use of self-administered heat, this is the first study to compare the effectiveness of topical heat treatment versus oral analgesics for treating muscle pain and stiffness," according to Dr. Scott F. Nadler, director of sports medicine at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School in Newark and co-investigator of the study. "Confirming that this treatment is effective is important to patients because it gives them a treatment option that does not have the potential risk to the liver, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract than can accompany inappropriate analgesic usage," said Dr. Nadler, who is also an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the medical school. Source: HealthNewsDigest.com, Date Published: 2002-10-01 Far-infrared Heat Effects on Muscle and Joint Pain and Stiffness Tissues heated to 45°C and then stretched exhibit a non-elastic residual elongation of about 0.5-0.9% that persists after the stretch is removed which does not occur in these same tissues when stretched at normal tissue temperatures. Thus 20 stretching sessions can produce a 10-18% increase in length in tissues so heated and stretched. This effect would be especially valuable in working with ligaments, joint capsules, tendons, fasciae, and synovium that have become scarred, thickened or contracted. Such stretching at 45°C caused much less weakening in stretched tissues for a given elongation that a similar elongation produced at normal tissue temperatures. The experiments cited clearly showed that low-force stretching can produce significant residual elongation when heat is applied together with stretching or range-of-motion exercises, which is also sager than stretching tissues at normal tissue temperatures. This safer stretching effect is crucial in properly training competitive athletes so as to minimize their "down" time from injuries. Far-infrared heat decreases joint stiffness directly There was a 20% decrease in stiffness at 45?C as compared with 33?C in rheumatoid finger joints, which correlated perfectly to both subjective and objective observation of stiffness. Any stiffened joint and thickened connective tissues should respond in a similar fashion.r fashion. Source: Therapeutic Heat and Cold, 4th Edition, ED. Justus F. Lehmann M.D., Williams and Wilkins, Chapter 9 or concluded from the data therein. Generally it is accepted that heat produces the following

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