How to Use Heat Therapy for Your Joint Health?

How Does Heat Therapy Benefit You?

Heat or superficial heat therapy is when you apply warmth to a sore or painful area. You can perform this therapy in different ways:

• Warm packs
• Warm wraps
• Warm bath
• Warm pourings
• Devices that produce heat

The main idea is to increase the temperature of the tissues in the area.

What are the Mechanisms of Heat Therapy? 

Heat therapy alters the sensation of the “pain” or the functioning of structures like muscles, blood vessels, ligaments, etc. How? The answer is through the following mechanisms:

1. Blocking Pain Signals

When we apply heat, it triggers the nerves that are sensitive to temperature. These nerves send signals to our brain, which can help block or reduce the pain sensation in that area.

2. Increased Blood Circulation

Heat and warmth dilate blood vessels, thus increasing the blood flow to the area. Blood brings in anti-inflammatory support to the site of the pain, thus reducing the pain and promoting healing.

3. Muscle Relaxation

Applying warmth is like a gentle massage that loosens the tight muscles around your joint. How? Because it reduces muscle spasms.

4. Joint Flexibility 

Heat application reduces fluid viscosity inside your joints and fascia, which allows smooth movement of the joints.

5. Lubrication of Joints

Heat increases the production of the synovial fluid. This keeps your joints smooth by reducing friction.

6. Relaxation of Mind

Stress is one of the factors that cause joint pain. Heat application therapies reduce stress and tension. As a result, lower stress levels help in an overall reduction of pain perception.

What are the Different Types of Heat Therapy?

Healthcare experts classify Heat Therapy, or Thermotherapy, in different ways. The most common types of heat therapies are:

Moist Heat 

• Warm Towels or Washcloths
• Hot baths or Showers

Dry Heat

• Heating Pads (Electric pads or microwavable pads)
• Heat wraps (Adhesive wraps that generate heat)

Heat Packs 

• Gel packs or Heat packs (Gel or grain-filled packs that can be heated)

Electric Blankets

• Blankets which have heating equipment in them.

Infrared Heat Therapy

• Devices that produce IR lights that can penetrate deep tissues

Paraffin Wax Therapy

• Warm paraffin is applied to the area of pain.

Sauna or Steam Therapy 

• Steam room or sauna room that induces sweating. 

With modern technology, the traditional steam rooms have come a long way. You can now get heat therapy in new and amazing ways, like personalized sauna rooms that use infrared, and even have your own private sauna at home.

Hot Oil Massage

• Warm oil massage improves blood circulation and lubricates your joints.

Opt for dry or warm heat application, or on the other hand, a sauna bath or heating pad. The process to opt will depend on your joint issue.

Holistic health practitioners like Ayurveda experts at Nirva Health also prefer to check the involvement of dosha in a specific condition before suggesting a particular kind of heat therapy.

Ayurvedic Heat Therapy Treatments for Your Joints

Ayurveda contains information related to external heat therapies for joint pain. These therapies or treatments are called “Swedana Chikitsa”, translated as “Sweating therapy”. This is also called “Fomentation therapy”, meaning you sweat when heat is applied to your body parts.

Ayurveda experts apply swedana chikitsa for joint health whenever there is:

• Excessive pain
• Stiffness
• No evidence of active inflammation

There are different types of Ayurvedic Swedana treatments for joint pain:

• Fomentation with oily and fat substances.
• Dry fomentation using dry substances.

Again, Ayurveda experts select different heat application methods according to the aggravated dosha in your joint.

Types of Ayurvedic Heat Therapies for Joint Health

Some common types that help with your joint health are as follows: 

1. Bolus of the Herbal Mixture (Pinda Swedana)

Do you know what a bolus of medicinal herbal paste is? Well, you can make this paste from drumstick leaves, castor leaves, and chaste tree leaves with medicated oil, ghee, etc. After preparing the mixture, you can tie it in a cloth. The prepared mixture is kept in a vessel and heated until an optimal temperature. Press this bolus over the painful joint.

2. Bolus of Sand/Grains (Ruksha Pinda Swedana)

Like the above method, a bolus of sand or grains is tied in a cloth and heated in a vessel. You may use the bolus with or without oil, according to the condition (dosha involvement as explained by Ayurveda experts). To understand it better, consult an Ayurveda Consultant.

3. Compression Covering with Medications (Upanaha Swedana)

Heat the paste made from medicinal herbal powders (For instance, a mixture of triphala and ginger). Apply this on painful joints. Keep a pain-relieving leaf on the paste. Cover with a cloth as a bandage. Usually, one keeps it overnight.

Pro Tip: This compression covering is a great heating pad for knee, ankle, and wrist pain.

4. Steam Through a Pipe (Nadi Swedana)

The process involves boiling pain-relieving medicines in a small-mouthed vessel. The steam generated then passes through a pipe connected to the mouth of the vessel. After that, the steam gets applied over the painful joint area.

5. Dipping Method (Avagaha Swedana)

A tub bath with warm medicated water is one of the best methods to shoo away that multiple joint pain. You can adopt this method for single joints by dipping the painful area in the tub.

6. Pouring Warm Medications (Seka)

Pouring warm, medicated water or pain-relieving Ayurveda oils on the painful and stiff joints in a thin stream can help. How? Doing so relieves the pain and improves your overall joint health.

7. Application of Warm Medicated Paste (Alepana)

Applying a paste from grinding different herbs on your painful swollen joint helps dry off all that swelling. 

Pro Tip: Do not keep this paste on your skin till it dries off. Remove it before it starts pulling on your skin. 

8. Heated Brick (Ishtika Swedana)

Placing the painful area on a heated brick covered with pain-relieving herbal leaf with oil is an excellent method to relieve pain in conditions like heel pain.

Expert Tip: Applying Ayurvedic pain relieving medicated oil before application of heat gives added benefit.

Combining Heat Therapy with Other Treatments 

You can perform Ayurvedic heat therapies in combination with other therapies. For example,

• Before applying heat, oil application is considered mandatory.
   
• Heat therapy, along with detoxification therapy, helps remove the bodily toxins that cause your joint health issues. Detoxification helps cure chronic and acute joint conditions.
   
• After application of Oil and Heat, the muscles and joints are more flexible. So, a session of yoga or physical therapy is advised. 

Do you wish to go for these Ayurvedic treatments of Swedana for your joint pain? Explore your options at the Ayurvedic Retreat with Nirva.

When Should You Apply Heat for Joint Pain Relief?

It is a well-known practice to apply warmth to a painful joint. But is it always so? You must also have heard that using ice helps. So, when do we choose heat over cold?

Ayurveda experts pick different treatments by evaluating whether your dosha gets aggravated. Following is an example of how they choose heat therapy.

Why Should You Not Use Heat Therapy in Acute Inflammatory Joint Conditions?

An acute joint inflammation features the involvement of aggravated Pitta dosha. It will be best if you do not undergo heat therapy in a condition associated with Pitta aggravation. Pitta is the characteristic dosha of heat. That is why the best treatment for such a condition is cold application.

You will experience an aggravated Pitta dosha in acute conditions such as joint pain from a recent fall, ligament injury, fracture, or inflamed bursitis. In such cases, pitta tends to worsen further, thus increasing the inflammation.

Does Heat Application Help in Chronic Arthritis?

So, this brings us to whether heat applications through devices like heating pads are beneficial for managing arthritis pain.

Arthritis, even though it is an inflammatory condition, does have a ‘no flare-up’ stage.

The American College of Rheumatology opines that five minutes of ice pack on a painful area gives relief when practised within two days of its onset. 

However, if the arthritic pain persists even after two days, experts recommend you should apply heat. So, carry out heat therapy in chronic inflammatory joint conditions without inflammatory flare-ups. 

Tips to Apply Heat Therapy Safely!

At times, we need to find relief from joint pain at home. In such cases, when you are applying a hot pad or a hot pack, remember to practise these safety tips:

• Choose the right heat application source for your condition.
   
• Apply only to the affected area.
   
• Position your body comfortably so that you do not strain other joints.
   
• Always choose warm over hot. Never look to increase your skin temperature to the maximum.
   
• Apply for just 15 - 20 minutes in one go.
   
• Put a protective layer of cloth or leaf underneath direct heat to prevent burns.
   
• Monitor for any abnormal sensations or discomfort.
   
• Never fall asleep with a hot pack on your joint.

Unexpected Reactions? When Should You Not Apply Heat Therapy?

Some risks come with prolonged Heat therapy, such as

1. Skin rash or burn.
2. Decreased blood pressure with symptoms of dizziness or light-headedness.
3. Increased swelling or inflammation.

To avoid some complications, you must know when not to apply heat therapy:

• When you have any skin conditions.
• When you have visible red blood vessels outside.
• If you know that you are diagnosed with Deep Vein Thrombosis.
• If you are a patient with chronic heart conditions.
• If you are Diabetic.
• If you have an open wound.

To Conclude

There are different ways to enhance your joint health, and applying heat is one of the best in long-standing conditions. Science is moving towards understanding the benefits of these simple therapies instead of finding pills to relieve joint symptoms. Whether you’re dealing with arthritis, injuries, or general joint pain, understanding how to use heat therapy effectively can improve joint function and quality of life. However, it is always best to talk to your doctor before you go for any of the therapies mentioned above.