What Is Heat Therapy?

Often used for sports injuries, heat therapy, or thermotherapy, is now used for a wide range of other conditions. From cancer to muscle strain, heat therapy provides many benefits. Doctors are now utilizing heat therapy through various methods including body wraps. Heat therapy can improve conditions for patients by stimulating the function of certain areas of the body and providing pain relief.

History

• Heat therapy has been around for thousands of years. In ancient Greece, approximately 500 B.C., Parmenides used heat to create fever in an attempt to cure illness. Romans used heat baths to cure sickness. Heat therapy was first studied in 1866 by German physician M. Busch to cure a neck sarcoma. It was most effectively studied in the 1960s with research done on cancer cells in rodents. The conclusion was that cancer cells are sensitive to heat. Since then, heat therapy has proven effective for a wide range of conditions.

Function

• Heat is applied in wet form to the affected area of the body. By increasing the temperature of the skin artificially, tissue underneath the skin is also heated. The temperature of the muscle consequently increases, producing improved blood flow throughout the affected area. Increased blood flow provides a surplus of nutrients, protein and oxygen for faster healing. Other methods for heating local and regional areas of the body include using high-frequency waves, sterile internal probes, radiofrequency, perfusion and thermal chambers.

Uses

• Heat therapy is consistently used for multiple conditions. While commonly used for sports injuries such as muscle strains, cancer patients may benefit greatly from the method. Cancer cells are sensitive to heat, and using heat therapy may make chemotherapy more effective. Heat therapy has also been used for constipation and arthritis.

Methods

• Three main methods are common in heat therapy. Local, regional and whole-body heat therapies are all used by doctors. Heat therapy that's local applies heat to a small affected area. Body wraps are useful for muscle conditions, but other devices for healing include high-frequency waves. Regional therapy involves heating an entire area of the body surrounding the affected area to increase blood flow. Whole-body therapy is mostly used to treat cancer that has spread. It heats the entire body with thermal chambers or large warm blankets.

Warnings

• If not performed by a trained professional, whole-body heat therapy can occasionally cause internal bleeding. Temperature should stay under 113 degrees Fahrenheit. It may also cause blisters or burns if unsupervised. Those with diabetes, tuberculosis, heart disease and anemia should be cautious with heat therapy. Women who are pregnant should also be cautious.