Heat has long been established as a modality for treating pain issues, especially in the joints, muscles and ligaments.
It is actively used by physiotherapists, traditional Chinese medicine, as well as other healthcare practitioners. A heat pack or infrared heat lamp are also very commonly used by patients applying self-treatments for minor injuries.
A common limitation for many of these heat treatment options is that heat is unable to penetrate deeply into the injured area, resulting only in a warm effect in the superficial skin and subcutaneous layer (under the skin). Also the amount of heat energy that can be applied is limited because the skin is sensitive to temperature and will feel “too hot” before enough healing can be stimulated.
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