HEAT THERAPY FOR PULLED MUSCLES

Heat can be greatly practical in remedying a pulled or strained muscle. Heat should be subsumed with ice, medication and other treatments to reduce pain and inflammation. The objective is using heat timely to most benefit from it.

Heat is important to reinforce a pulled muscle for renewed activity. Heat can relax muscle spasms. Heat is primarily used after several days ensuing injury, after ice has reduced initial inflammation.

  • Ÿ  Effects of  heat

While ice causes vasoconstriction (minimizing blood flow) and alleviates inflammation and pain, heat spurs vasodilation (an increase of blood flow) to the injured area. Increasing blood flow accelerates outflow of nutrients and oxygen to the pulled muscle, which are necessary for healing.

  • Ÿ  Variations of heating applications

Heating pads should be used several times daily for 15 to 20 minutes. Theraflex gel packs can be employed as ice or heat treatments. Prepare them in the microwave and place them directly on the injured muscle.

  • Ÿ  Hot tub treatment

A hot tub or very warm bath are quite serviceable in relieving pain from strained muscles, specially in the legs, buttocks or back. Water can permeate a strained muscle better.

  • Ÿ  Time Frame

Heat should employed until the injury is thoroughly healed. There is no established timeframe for curing a pulled muscle. Healing is contingent upon the severity of the injury and the level of treatment.

Opponents of heat treatment

There are therapists and sports doctors who are proponents of the curative strength of a hot compress, there are others who are antithetical to it. So be cautious how to administer heat only apportioning it minimally to the injured muscle to observe the response to this treatment.

How else to remedy a pulled muscle

The conventional RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) technique is regularly the initial treatment for a pulled muscle.

Everyone’s busy lifestyle does not permit adequate time for physical exercises. Also, long work hours, shoddy posture while working and improper rest makes us more prone to muscle pulls, sprains and strains. However, proper rest and the suggestions in this article, a pulled muscle can be easily remedied to health.

  • Ÿ  Rest

This is the primary treatment. Immediately after sensing a muscle pull stop doing the activity that instigated it. Refrain from using the injured anatomy for two to three days. Resume activity gradually. A muscle pull can incite pain even while at rest. Ensure that the injured muscle has healed completely, otherwise a fatigued muscle not adequately recovered from injury is more prone to a tear with minimal strain, and re-aggravation can be a worse medical problem.

  • Ÿ  Apply heat

Many physical therapists recommend heat application simultaneously with ice therapy for a strained muscle. With the initial stage of abating blood-flow to the injury by applying packs of ice to it, heat application causes extra blood-flow into the strained muscle. This prevents muscle spasms. Heat application should be done 20 minutes once daily. Be cautious when applying heat apportioning it cautiously to review it response.

  • Ÿ  Elevation

Elevate and ice concurrently for more beneficial results. Elevation drains excess fluid out of the injury. This relieves muscle pain and swelling. If the injury is in the arm or leg, the limb could be propped upon pillows when a person is lying down. In the circumstance you have pulled a muscle in the back or neck, lying down comfortably on the stomach could work.

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