Can I apply heat to my lower back pain?

The waist is a very common disease symptom, and many diseases can cause low back pain. Therefore, we should have corresponding judgments on the disease and not blindly carry out treatment to avoid going in the wrong direction. When we have lower back pain, we should take appropriate measures to relieve it, lie down in bed and rest in time, and do not continue to work because physical labor will aggravate the lower back pain and create adverse factors. So, can hot compress be used to treat lower back pain?

1. Is hot compress useful for lower back pain?

It's useful, but it depends on the situation.

If the low back pain is caused by acute lumbar sprain or other initial severe pain, infection, inflammation symptoms, and muscle swelling after exercise, you should choose cold compress. The role of cold compress at this time is to paralyze the nerves to achieve analgesic effect and inhibit inflammation. At this time, using hot compress will have the opposite effect, which may aggravate the pain and be detrimental to recovery. Hot compress is very effective for muscle soreness, low back pain that has passed the acute stage, lumbar muscle strain, etc.

2. The difference between hot compress and cold compress for low back pain

When cold compress cools the affected area, it causes local blood vessels to constrict, resulting in poor blood circulation and a reduction in blood flow to the muscle tissue. At this time, the cold compress will produce an anesthesia-like effect and exert an analgesic effect, and dissipate heat between muscle tissues to achieve the effect of inhibiting inflammation.

The effect of hot compress is opposite to that of cold compress. It can dilate blood vessels, accelerate blood circulation, and then soften muscle tissue to achieve a recovery effect.

3. In case of acute sprain, apply cold compress first and then hot compress

When you start to feel severe pain due to a sprained waist, you need to apply cold compresses to relieve the pain. When cold compress cools the affected area, it causes local blood vessels to constrict, resulting in poor blood circulation and a reduction in blood flow to the muscle tissue. At this time, the cold compress will produce an anesthesia-like effect and exert an analgesic effect, and dissipate heat between muscle tissues to achieve the effect of inhibiting inflammation.