Heat Therapy

What is Heat Therapy?
Applying heat to a specific injury is a very popular treatment choice in the sports medicine industry. Heat therapy helps to relieve pain, decrease stiffness, and increase blood flow to the area of the body where the injury has occurred.  Please understand that heat therapy is a treatment option that should be applied to the injured area before exercising, whereas cold therapy should be utilized as a treatment option after exercising.  It is important to follow the proper heat therapy application techniques to the site of the injury.

Heat Therapy Benefits
- Increases blood flow to the site of the injury
- Helps to warm up the muscles before stretching or exercising 

How do you apply Heat Therapy?
- Apply heat therapy at site of injury for 5-10 minutes following icing: Only once bleeding and swelling is gone
- Apply heat therapy at site of injury for 20 minutes before exercise if it is a chronic injury

Types of Heat Therapy
- Heat Pad
- Warm Towel
- Heat Rug