Heat-Wrap Therapy

Research has proven that heat-wrap therapy based on moist heat, rather than the dry heat produced by electric pads, is effective in relieving moderate muscular or joint pain. Pain caused by normal exercise, exertion, or flare-ups of arthritis can be controlled at home with heat-wrap therapy, reducing or eliminating the need for drugs or other therapies.

While the old-fashioned water bottle represents a primitive form of heat-wrap therapy, there are many options on the health-care market. Most utilize a microwave-heat source for warming the device, which needs no batteries or electricity to do its job. Once the correct temperature has been achieved, the heat wrap provides therapeutic relief at a continuous level for about a half hour.

Heat-Wrap Therapy Is Safe for Anyone to Use

New-technology heat wraps are filled either with gel or with moisture-collecting beads that exude a moist heat when activated in the microwave or with a special solution. They can be placed, tied or held with Velcro tabs on the specific area of the body where pain is being felt. The heat-wrap moisture encourages better penetration to muscles that may lie far below the skin line.

Patients who are on medication that may interact dangerously with painkillers can find drug-free pain relief as well. For those with inflammation due to injury or illness, doctors may suggest following heat-wrap therapy with topical ice or frozen gel-pack applications. Doctors at the Bonati Institute can help patients choose the best pain-relief therapy for their conditions.