Heat therapy

Question 1

List 3 of the main effects of heat therapy.

Answer 1

Reduces pain
Healing encouraged 
Reduces joint stiffness
Reduces muscle spasm
Increased blood flow 
Vasodilation
Temperature above 45 degrees can cause tissue damage
More red blood cells and white blood cells as more blood flow

Question 2

Explain how applying heat therapy to a patient would encourage healing.

Answer 2

This is because increasing the temperature of the site of the injury will cause vasodilation. So there will be increased blood flow to this area which will mean more oxygen and more nutrients.

Question 3

Explain why applying a form of heat therapy to an area of damaged tissue would decrease pain.

Answer 3

Pain would be decreased by heat therapy as the touch sensations will overload the interneuron in the spinal cord preventing it from acting as a gate for pain to get into the brain.

Question 4

Explain how heat therapy will reduce stiffness and muscle spasms for a patient.

Answer 4

This as when the blood gets warmer the blood vessels widen via vasodilation so more blood and nutrients can get to the area of stiffness. This will help the muscle to relax.

Question 5

How would you apply a hot pack?

Answer 5

1. Ask for consent.
2. Heat the heat pack to 40-45 degrees.
3. Remove any clothing or anything else that may act as a barrier to the heat pack or conduct heat.
4. Place heat pack in a towel and wrap it up.
5. Check for any contraindications such as lack of skin sensation by filling up a test tube with hot and cold water and placing on the patients skin asking them to identify which one is touching them.
6. Wrap heat pad around the site of the injury.
7. Check every 5 minutes for burns and rashes on the skin and leave on for 15-20 minutes depending on the depth and size of the area being treated.

Question 6

Identify 3 contraindications of heat therapy?

Answer 6

Lack of thermal sensation
Impaired circulation
Risk of haemorrhage
Devitalised skin e.g radiotherapy