Lower Back Pain: How a Heating Pad Can Help

Lower back pain will strike every adult at some point. For some, this pain is temporary and goes away, but for others this pain will linger and could affect them for years, and in some cases, forever. There are dozens of medications, medical treatments and alternative remedies that can be effective. Another remedy that is always effective is heat. For heat to work, you need a heating pad that actually covers your lower back so that all muscles and soft tissues can be relaxed.

Common Causes of Lower Back Pain

Muscle strains are really common in the lower back. If you move suddenly, twist wrong or lift something improperly, you can put yourself in danger of suffering from a lower back muscle strain. This tends to be painful and the pain can be quite severe for some people. The muscles in the lower back can spasm causing stiffness and even more pain. Heat is always a good option for relaxing muscles that are in spasm.

Herniated lumbar discs are also common as discs in that area are vulnerable to injury. Pain and stiffness are the most common symptoms and both can be quite severe. Heat can help to promote blood flow to the damaged disc to help promote healing. Heat can also help to alleviate some of the stiffness and pain.

Heat and Lower Back Pain

Heat is well-known for its ability to relax sore muscles. Heat does this by promoting injured tissue healing via bringing blood into the muscles. Blood is full of nutrients and all of these nutrients are critical for promoting healing. A heating pad works best when used for 15 minutes at a time. Like all good things, too much heat can be counterproductive. In between each heating session, you should take an hour break from the heat and then you can apply heat again for 15 minutes if you are still sore and uncomfortable.

How to Choose the Right Lower Back Heating Pad

First, you want the heating pad needs to be able to cover your entire lower back area, both horizontally and vertically. If you use a heating pad that can only cover half of your lower back, you will notice that your back pain is not really getting relieved. It is important for all muscles in this area to get even heat distribution to ensure that everything gets relaxed at the same time.

You also want a heating pad that will not burn you and one that you can have on as you walk around and complete activities throughout your day. The Sunshine Pillows Microwaveable Lower Back Pain Heating Wrap is a good example that covers all of the above-mentioned bases. It covers your entire lower back, is made from a material that prevents burns and can be tied at the waist so that you can wear it throughout the day and are not chained to a chair to get heat. It also offers moist heat which is far more effective than dry heat in relaxing muscles.