Meaning of hot compress skin#
Meaning of hot compress tv#

Our body has an extremely efficient thermo-protective layer designed to maintain our body’s temperature even in the extreme cold. Once again, the detected changes were modest being just 3-4°. Studies have looked at intra-articular (the temperature within the joint) following orthopedic surgery where ice is applied to the area. Indeed, the lowest reported superficial muscle temperature (1cm below the skin), even after icing for a prolonged period, was found to be 21°c and this was in a population of athletes who are likely to have less body fat (subadipose tissue) than the general population and therefore would have been expected to have had a greater reduction in temperature monitored within the muscle.

Meaning of hot compress skin#

In studies, temperature tests as little as 1cm below the surface of the skin, show only minor changes in temperature following application of ice to the skin surface for prolonged periods. The reason why cold therapy has little impact ion swelling can be explained by the fact that the required reduction in temperature (5-15 degrees) lower local cell metabolism to reduce swelling and tissue damage would be extremely difficult to achieve. There was some evidence that swelling following surgery was reduced using cryotherapy but this also often involved movement and elevation in the studies. It was however thought unlikely that it produced a significant reduction in swelling.

The evidence concluded that cold therapy can achieve a (local numbing pain relief) analgesic effect after treatment lasting 5-15 minutes. The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports Medicine updated their guidelines in 2010 based upon systematic reviews of the evidence for acute soft tissue injury management. There is some weak evidence that cold therapy may give minor benefit for acute soft tissue injuries however most studies considered ice within the context of PRICE (protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation) and so the exact influence of cold therapy as a standalone treatment is not clear. Whilst this is a commonly held belief there is actually surprisingly little good quality evidence to support it. But surely ice is better for acute injuries? This has been tested for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions including muscle soreness, and acute neck and low back pains. Most studies that have compared the use of hot versus cold therapy have shown no significant difference in outcome between the two groups. However, the benefit of cold in these specific situations is debatable, likely to be very small, and it is thought that the compression and elevation account for most of the difference, rather than the cold itself. In other words, there is no physiological advantage to using either hot or cold, with the possible exception of a very new/acute injury or post-surgical swelling (see below). Below shows the more scientific explanation of how this works known as the ‘pain gate throry’.įor most conditions, it is really a question of preference.

Meaning of hot compress tv#

Think of this like turning up your TV to mask the sound of noisy neighbours.

The stimulation of the skin distracts the brain by sending messages up the spinal cord which the brain will then focus on instead of the sensation of pain. The sensation of the rubbing partly blocks out the feeling of the pain. Rubbing an area that is painful works in the same way. The reason for this, apart from in the most acute stages of an injury, is that hot or cold compresses are essentially being used to help with the sensation of pain.īoth hot and cold work using the pain gate mechanism – meaning that by applying hot or cold, the feeling of warmth (or cold) can, at least partly, override the sensation of pain so that your brain will detect the temperature rather than the pain itself. For most conditions, either hot or cold can be used. Below we discuss the rationale for the use of hot and cold therapies and the potential effects that they may have. Also, the frequency and duration with which they should be applied is a common cause for debate. Patients frequently ask us whether they should be applying a hot or cold compress to an area to help with their pain. Hot and cold treatments are among the most commonly used non-pharmacological methods for relief of muscle, tendon, ligament, and spinal pains.