inflammation treatments

inflammation treatments

Therapists treat pain and inflammation. Such treatment makes movement easier and enables people to participate more fully in rehabilitation. Techniques used include heat therapy, cold therapy, electrical stimulation, traction, massage, and acupuncture. For therapists, whether to use heat or cold therapy is often a personal choice, although cold therapy seems to be more effective for acute pain.
Heat Therapy: Heat increases blood flow and makes connective tissue more flexible. It temporarily decreases joint stiffness, pain, and muscle spasms. Heat also helps reduce inflammation and the buildup of fluid in tissues (edema). Heat therapy is used to treat inflammation (including various forms of arthritis), muscle spasm, and injuries such as sprains and strains.
Heat may be applied to the body's surface or to deep tissues. Hot packs, infrared heat, paraffin (heated wax) baths, and hydrotherapy (agitated warm water) provide surface heat. Heat may be generated in deep tissues by electric currents (diathermy) or high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound).