Does Heat Heal Injuries?

Just a little helpful advice for the injury prone out there (like myself).

As much as we all love heat treatments such as warm baths ( i love love love them), hot water bottles, etc. they won't actually help heal any soft tissue damage you may have (ie. torn tendon, torn ligament, pulled muscle, etc.). Heat does relax the muscles; however, in order to heal, heat must be promoted from below the dermal layer. Our bodies work really hard to maintain a constant internal temperature. Picture for instance being outside in +30C or -30C temperatures, you will feel cold or hot on the surface, but your internal temperature if checked with a thermometer, hasn't changed. Same goes for when you put a heating pad on your skin and expect a change in blood flow below the dermal layer. What you need, in order to heal, is blood to circulate where the injury is....below the dermal layer, within the soft tissue. This is the nourishing circulation you get from physical activity (which usually isn't an option when you are in pain). To help reduce the risk factor of hard physical activity, focus on treatments such as massage therapy, ultrasound or bfst. Our bodies have a natural ability to heal by bringing any injured area blood flow, however, the rate at which it does so is very slow. Increasing the circulation increases the amount of nutrients and oxygen and thus helps you heal at an accelerated rate. The increased blood flow also lubricates the area, helping prevent further damage during movements.
After an injury...even days/weeks after an injury, cold therapy is always the best thing you can do before focusing on treatments for blood flow. It will reduce the swelling and any internal inflammation you may have, and will relieve the pain you are experiencing. Inflammation forms a barrier and blocks the bodies natural ability to bring blood flow to the area along with the additional efforts to increase the blood flow to the area. Tweet