Benefits to Thermal Therapy. There are more than 4 but these will get you started. 
- Thermal receptors shallow under the skin. Applying heat could possibly wake up and engage with those receptors that send messages to the brain. Working with receptors can give information and the more we work with those receptors, the more information is passed and translated.
- The heat allows for relaxation and stretchiness. If you’ve ever stretched and felt the benefit of a stretch, imagine a little more benefit by adding heat. Even if you’re not stretching, the heat can “melt” or transform the tissue density for more information.
- Heat is relaxing. Ice is not. That’s my personal opinion and informally the opinion of many others that I discuss this with.
- Thermal therapy can aid in transitions. It soothes the sensory system to move from one experience to another. I have this belief that we seek the sensory experiences to move us from a busy day to relaxation and probably why people often choose food or drink when they could choose heat. (This could be an idea you play around with.)
Thermal therapy can be a heated flax pillow or a hot soak of the feet–or other options. These are the 2 that I specifically use in practice in a strategic way.
This was written by Sara Newberry and based on the experiences and understanding of her sessions and feedback from clients.
