How to Apply Heat Therapy for Knee Arthritis Pain Relief Video

Hi, I'm Natalie here with Veritas Health, and I'm here to give you guys some information on using heat therapy for knee arthritis pain relief. 

Heat therapy can be really helpful when you're dealing with knee arthritis because it helps provide some vasodilation. So some opening up those blood vessels that provide increased superficial blood flow, increased nutrients to help with healing, and also help reduce your pain. If you have arthritis, sometimes your pain is worse in the morning so using a heating pad first thing in the morning can really help you get moving better. 

Also, if your pain gets worse at night and you've been on your feet for a while using a heating pad or some heat source at the end of the day can be really helpful as well. And finally, heating can be really helpful too before you do any sort of exercise such as walking, biking, strength training or any physical therapy type exercises as well. 

There are several different options you can use for heat. One is an adhesive pad which can be applied directly onto the skin and worn throughout the day. These are very convenient as they move with you throughout the day. You can also use a gel pad that you can get at any of your pharmacies. These can be warmed up in the microwave and also apply directly to the skin as well. Finally, you can use an electric heating pad, which is helpful beacuse  it can cover a broad area. And they also have a timer so you can be aware of how long you've had it on. The electric heating pad can be also helpful to keep in your bed if you need it first thing in the morning. When using heat therapy, I would recommend using for about 10 minutes to 30 minutes and not to exceed 30 minutes. Be mindful of any skin irritation, redness, or signs of burning while you're using it. And be sure you don't fall asleep with it on as well. 

To learn more about using heat therapy for knee pain, please visit us at Arthritis-health and be sure to subscribe to our channel for more videos like this one. Thanks for watching!