Thermotherapy

1. What are the maximum and minimum temperatures that can be used without injury to tissue?
2. What are applications for heat therapy?
3. What are contraindications to using heat therapy?
4. What is heat therapy contraindicated with scar tissue?
5. What is convection and what are some examples of heating by convection?
6. What is conduction and what are ways you can heat by conduction?
7. What is conversive heating and what are examples?

Answers:
1. T>45-50C or T<0C
2. Decrease muscle spasms, decrease pain, reduction in joint stiffness, decrease contractures, arthritis, collagen vascular diseases, chronic inflammation, superficial thrombophlebitis.
3. Ischemia (arterial insufficiency), bleeding disorders, hemorrhage (due to incr blood flow), impaired sensation (risk of burn), inability to communicate, malignancy, acute trauma or inflammation, scar tissue, edema (due to increased diffusion across membranes), atrophic skin, poor thermal regulation.
4. Scar tissue has inadequate vascular supply and heat increases its metabolic demand, this causing ischemic necrosis.
5. Convection is contact between two surfaces at different temperatures with flow of one liquid or gas past the other. The resulting flow causes transfer of heat energy. Examples include fluidotherapy, hydrotherapy (whirlpool), and contrast baths.
6. Conduction is the transfer of heat between two bodies at different temperatures without movement. Examples include hot water, paraffin, hot packs.
7. Conversive heating in when nonthermal energy converts to heat in tissues Examples include radiant heat (heat lamps), shortwave diathermy, ultrasound, and microwave.