Have you used a heat wrap? Did it help?

Yes. No it didn’t help,

Are you talking about a heating pad? LIke the one I use?

I lie on it on a hard surface for 10 minutes daily and then do a series of yoga-like back stretches. The heat enables me to do the stretches which makes my lower back feel less achy, which has become a chronic problem for me.

Sometimes at night, when I am watching TV, I will put the heating pad between my back and the sofa back, lean on it and heat myself for 5 minutes or so…it is soothing and relaxing but does not produce miraculous cures.

I used a hot towel wrap before a massage several years ago. It did wonders.

@gailcalled Actually, I was thinking of something like this, but of a size that you could wrap around your arm, leg, thigh or even torso (but it doesn’t have to go all the way around).

Heat is great for as @gailcalled stretching. It helps bring relief for a number of maladies. I use one for my stomach. Or when I am sick with the flu or some such. But remember for muscles it is ten minutes hot ten minutes cold. For things that cause inflammation.

@2davidc8: Your example and mine are almost the same; they both come in different sizes to use on various body parts, but there is one important difference. Mine (from Battle Creek) has a vital safety feature. You must keep your thumb on the switch in order to have heat. That is to protect you from falling asleep and burning yourself.

Your pad can be turned to on for two hours. I consider that dangerous, particularly if you are using the higher settings. Dozing off is inevitable. Mine is only “On” or “Off.” After 8–10 minutes, the body says “Enough,” particularly if you are lying on it (which I do, even though the instrustions say specifically not to). The heat begins to feel hotter and hotter and suddenly too hot.

I have the pad you linked to. It’s a good one – quite durable, gets very hot in a consistent way, and is soft and easily bendable.

It is used to relieve pain. I use mine most every day for chronic gut pain, and it is very helpful. My fiance uses it to ease neck pain. And at night in the winter we used it under our elderly cat’s bed, on a low setting, to give her some extra heat.

Do be careful with it – it can get very hot in the two hours before its automatic shutoff. I have fallen asleep with it on me – not laying on it, even – and woke up with a patch on my hip that felt extra hot and now, weeks later, continues to feel kind of numb to the touch. Also, heating pads have been known to cause burns in some cases.

I use a heating pad for muscle aches. I guess you are supposed to ice it, but I hate cold and like warm. I got rear-ended coming home from Disneyland a few months ago, and used a heating pad on my aching hip. Yes, it worked wonderfully, but then it could be psychosomatic. I don’t really care, as long as it works.

The older you are the more delicate the skin is. More prone to damage; drying out and burns.

Skaggfacemutt has it about right. Heat feels great, but cold is what actually helps promote healing. (And for safety, please do keep some layer between you and the heating or cooling material.)