Hydrocollator Therapy
BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF USING HEAT
The use of heat on the patient prior to an adjustment allows the muscles to soften (decreasing spasticity by increasing blood flow) thereby allowing the adjustment to be more effective and less irritating.
Applying heat to the body has the effect of dilating the blood vessels, increasing the metabolic rate of the heated area, and relaxing the muscles on a deep level. The use of heat is an important therapeutic tool. Heat can deliver nurturing comfort to the patient while enabling a far deeper state of relaxation than chiropractic alone.
An important physiologic effect of applying heat to painful areas of the body is the reduction of pain by interference with pain transfer mechanisms. In the body, the pain and temperature sensing pathways are close together. When the heat message occupies these pathways, the pain message becomes distorted and the pain is diminished.