Beatrice Most chronic pain can be treated with hot compresses after entering the remission period, but only a few people with special conditions should avoid it. I have been in the rehabilitation department for almost five years, and the patients I encounter the most are those with chronic waist and leg pain, neck and shoulder strain. Many people do not feel severe pain during the remission period, but are local stiffness and soreness, and feel uncomfortable when they are a little tired. Go home and apply a warm towel or hot water bag for ten minutes, and you will feel much better. If you persist for about a week, your joint mobility will be much better.
In fact, the reason is not complicated. When chronic pain reaches the remission stage, most acute inflammatory effusions disappear. Pain and stiffness are mainly caused by local soft tissue tension and adhesion, slow blood circulation, and pain-causing substances produced by metabolism cannot be discharged and pile up there. Hot compress is equivalent to "warming" the tight muscles and contracted blood vessels. The blood vessels relax and the blood flow rate increases. The accumulated metabolic waste can be taken away by the circulation faster. Muscle spasm is relieved, and the discomfort naturally disappears.
But this cannot be said with certainty. There are indeed a few cases where hot compresses during the remission period will be detrimental. Last month, I saw a young man in his 20s who had just passed the acute attack stage of gouty arthritis and his toes no longer hurt. He thought that hot compresses could speed up metabolism, so he held a hot water bottle and applied it for half an hour every day. However, on the third day, his toes were swollen like a small carrot and it hurt so much that he couldn't walk. Why is this happening? The remission period of gout is only when the acute inflammation disappears. The urate crystals in the joint gaps have not yet been metabolized. Hot compresses will increase the permeability of local blood vessels, which will instead induce inflammatory exudation and arouse the originally stable inflammation. There are also patients with localized skin damage, herpes, or patients with rheumatoid or ankylosing spondylitis. If the joints still show signs of redness and heat during the remission period, do not apply heat casually, otherwise the symptoms will easily be aggravated.
In addition, I would like to remind you that hot compress is not as hot as possible. Many people think that high temperature is effective. They often make the skin red and painful when applying it, and even cause low-temperature burns. In fact, the temperature is controlled at 40-45°C. Apply for 15-20 minutes each time. If you are afraid of burning, use a layer of pure cotton towel to make it safer. Especially people with diabetes or peripheral neuropathy are not sensitive to temperature perception. It is best to have a thermometer at home to measure the water temperature instead of relying on feelings. If you are really not sure whether your condition can be treated, it is better to ask an orthopedic or rehabilitation doctor in advance than trying blindly.
