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Unit 11 - Heat & Cold
Unit 11 - Heat & Cold
1. Body part
a) Certain areas of the skin have a sensitivity to temperature
variations.
b) The inner aspect of the wrist and fore arm, the neck and the
perineal area are temperature sensitive, while the back of
hand and the foot are not as sensitive.
4. Duration of application
a) Tolerance increases as the length of exposure
1) To reduce pain
2) To stimulate the removal of waste products accumulated in
inflammation
3) To remove excess collection of fluid in the tissue as in sprain
4) To bring pus to the surface of the body and stimulate
draining
5) To stimulate the function of organs such as the bladder
6) To relax muscles to whist have muscle spasm
7) To constrict the superficial blood vessels
Hot application
❖ Hot application can be performed in two ways.
1. Application of dry heat
2. Application of moist heat
Aquathermia Pad
• Are useful in treating muscle sprains and for areas
with mild inflammation or edema.
• Pad should be covered with thin cloth.
• Treatment usually continues for 20-30 minutes.
Application of moist heat
• Moist heat as greater and faster effect than dry
heat.
• Heat penetrates deeper with a moist
application.
• To prevent injury.
Ex: Moist heat application have lower
temperature than dry heat.
Purposes of moist heat application
1. To relieve pain and enhance (increase the
quality or value) comfort of the patient
2. To promote healing, softens exudates
3. To clean the wound of tissue debris or
exudates
4. To apply medication to large skin areas
5. To relax muscles
Methods of application of moist heat
1. Hot formentation
2. Warm compress
3. Sterile soaks
4. Sitz bath
Hot Formentation
1. To stimulate circulation
2. To reduce pain
3. To reduce congestion
4. To relax muscle
Ex: menthol and some evapariation drugs
Warm compresses
• Warm compresses a reapplied to improve
circulation, relieve edema and healing
• Warm compresses are prepared by gauze
dressing and prescribed warm solution
• An open wounds sterile technique should be
applied
• Duration 20-30 minutes
Sterile soaks
❑ In sterile soaks moist heat is applied over the
skin surface by immersing the part (dip or
cover completely)
Especially an extremity in hot water or
medicated solution
Purposes
o To promote drainage
o To apply medication
o To reduce swelling
o To increase blood circulation
Sitz bath
❑ A sitz bath is a type of bath in which only the
hips and buttocks are soaked in water or
saline solution
Ex: after anal surgeries
Local application of cold
Purposes :-
1) To reduce pain
2) To reduce temperature
3) To relieve headache
4) To control bleeding
5) To prevent inflammatory process
6) To reduce edema
Local effects of cold therapy
Purposes
1) To relieve headache
2) To control bleeding
3) To reduce swelling
4) To relieve local pain