Benefits of Heat Therapy for Back Pain
With the prevalence of back pain at around 30-40% of the population1, finding a way to deal with the discomfort is of utmost importance. Applying heat therapy to a person's back can help manage general back pain, mild lower back pain2, allows for better circulation, muscle relaxation, and can prevent it from turning into chronic back pain. While most people with lower back pain will recover in about four to six weeks, heat therapy can significantly reduce the pain they feel.
One of the most effective methods of relief is through our zero gravity chairs with advanced features such as heat therapy and massage.
How Zero Gravity Chairs Feature Heat Therapy for Back Pain
NASA originally developed the zero gravity posture to help astronauts in space relax and get comfortable. Adapting it for use on earth gave the world the zero gravity chair. Many different types of zero gravity chair offer heat therapy for lower back pain. Among the most popular options for heat therapy in a zero gravity chair are:
- The Swivel is a luxurious chair that offers excellent lower body support to go with its lower back heat therapy.
- The ZGR is a classic zero gravity recliner that uses memory foam to increase comfort while offering lumbar area heat therapy.
- The Lite is an affordable option for those who want to experiment with zero gravity chairs, and it comes with lumbar area heat therapy built-in as a bonus.
- The Newton is an elegant recliner, offering zero gravity comfort and lumbar area heat therapy to accompany the rest of its amenities.
How Does Heat Therapy for Back Pain Work?
Heat therapy for back pain focuses on increasing the temperature by a moderate amount in the lumbar region. Applying heat therapy to the back region for a period of no more than 10-15 minutes three times a day3 is recommended for back pain relief. There’s more than one benefit of heat therapy for back pain, which include the following:
- Improved blood flow and circulation
- Reduced muscle spasms in the back
- Inflammation reduction
Let's explore the benefits of heat therapy in more detail.
Heat Therapy Relaxes Muscle Spasms in the Back
Lower back pain typically comes with muscle spasms as part of the issue. Muscle spasms might not sound like that big of a problem, but they can be extremely painful and completely unpredictable. When muscle spasms happen, they restrict the blood flow to tissues in the back. Heat therapy helps to reduce the tightness, letting the blood vessels become less restricted and increasing blood flow to the back to reduce pain.
Heat Therapy Improves Blood Flow & Circulation
As noted before, heat therapy increases blood flow to the back muscles. But what does this mean, exactly? Increased blood flow means that the body can get more oxygen, white blood cells, and platelets to the lower back, increasing its capacity for healing. When heat is applied to the area, sensory nerves respond by dilating the blood vessels in the area, increasing the blood coming to the lower back.
Heat Therapy for Back Pain Reduces Inflammation
Heat therapy helps to activate the immune system. This results in lower levels of C-reactive protein in the blood, meaning the body has a robust immune system. Using heat therapy regularly may lead to a reduction in the primary proteins that are responsible for inflammation. As a result, the body has less inflammation to deal with.
What Are Long Term Heat Therapy Benefits?
The previously mentioned benefits are all short-term, but there are a few longer-term health benefits that individuals interested in heat therapy should know about.
Some studies4 have shown that heat therapy can be beneficial for vascular health, metabolic actions, and organ cross-talk, all of which can lead to better overall health over the long term.
Another recent study5 shows that heat therapy might impact the brain, making it less likely for an individual to develop Alzheimer’s or to treat it after it's been developed. Heat therapy has proven to be quite helpful in doing more than just treating lower back pain.
Combining Zero Gravity and Heat Therapy for Back Pain
The benefits of a zero gravity chair for back pain are quite numerous.
They provide a formidable method of dealing with lower back pain combined with heat therapy. Heat therapy combined with zero gravity chairs promotes better circulation and blood flow while at the same time giving a comfortable place for a person to relax. Lumbar support from these chairs also adds to the comfort and helps with the heat therapy sessions by targeting heat therapy for pain to the lower back area.
Learn More About Heat Therapy, Back Pain & Zero Gravity
Zero gravity chairs are truly a great way to both deliver the benefits of heat therapy for back pain and relax in comfort. These chairs have been designed to create a zero gravity experience that takes the user's health into account. For those interested in learning more about how heat therapy combines with zero gravity chairs, these links may explain more:
- Dealing with Back Pain Relief at Home - Here we look at some remedies that an individual can use to help with their back pain at home. We also cover heat therapy and zero gravity chairs.
- How to Relieve Back Pain During Pregnancy - Back pain during pregnancy can lead to a lot of discomfort. In this post, we examine what works to help expecting mothers deal with their back pain during pregnancy.
- The Benefits of Using a Zero Gravity Chair for Spinal Decompression At Home - Zero gravity chairs are wonderful for relieving back pain through spinal decompression at home. This post outlines how the process works.
- The Best Way to Keep Your Back Healthy - Back health is a crucial part of taking care of a body. This article examines how to ensure you have good back health today.
Zero Gravity Chairs With Heat Therapy Benefits
Among the zero gravity chairs that we have that offer heat therapy are:
You can shop them below.Sources referenced in the resource page:
1https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40122-021-00235-2
2https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/11/8/780
3https://www.webmd.com/back-pain/what-helps-with-lower-back-pain
4https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21951023/
5https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00168.2020
