Infrared Heat and Atrophy

Infrared heat for the treatment of physical complaints is both common and controversial. Its healing properties are questionable in some areas. But its use to both prevent and promote atrophy are well-documented.

Identification

• Infrared radiation is part of the electromagnetic spectrum that lies between visible and microwave wavelengths. There are three categories: near-, mid- and far-infrared; near-infrared being closest to visible light. Atrophy is a wasting away or decrease in size of a muscle or other bodily tissue.

Effects

• The most widely respected medical use of infrared heat is in the treatment of hemorrhoids. This is known as infrared coagulation and consists of exposing hemorrhoidal tissue to a burst of infrared, which causes the hemorrhoid to shrink, or atrophy, and recede.

Benefits

• Infrared heat in conjunction with electrical stimulation, applied by means of a probe or electrodes, is used by physical therapists for the prevention of disuse atrophy. Disuse atrophy is a loss of muscle tone brought on by lack of physical exercise.

Potential

• Near-infrared has shown potential to heal muscle atrophy induced by space travel.

  Gravity stimulates growth in human cells. Astronauts living in the absence of gravity on long-term space flights are at risk of losing muscle tone. NASA has experimented with the deep heat produced by near-infrared Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs), often in conjunction with hyperbaric oxygen, to establish its ability to promote the healing of muscle atrophy induced by space travel.

Misconceptions

• Low-level infrared treatment -- also referred to as infrared therapy or the Anodyne Therapy System -- claims to bring relief or healing from a variety of ailments, including acne, chronic non-healing wounds, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, ischemic stroke, lymphedema, neck pain and osteoarthritis. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, however, has concluded, after much study, that there is insufficient basis for these claims.