Can women use hot compresses during the remission period of chronic pain

The vast majority of women with chronic pain can use hot compresses after entering the remission period, but a small number of people with special underlying diseases and special pain triggers are not recommended to perform blind operations. At present, there is still some controversy in the academic community about the timing of hot compresses for some special types of pain.

I have previously been in contact with a 28-year-old endometriosis patient who has been suffering from chronic pelvic pain for almost three years. During the acute attack, when the pain was so severe that he could not straighten his waist, he did not dare to apply it randomly for fear of dilating the blood vessels and aggravating the inflammatory exudation, which would make the pain worse. However, after the acute attack, there was almost no pain at all. During the remission period, she used a warm water bag at about 40 degrees Celsius and a thin towel to apply it on her lower abdomen for 15 minutes every night. When she came back for a follow-up visit after persisting for two months, she said that the pain score of the two recent acute attacks had dropped by 3 points, and the feeling of swelling after sitting for a long time was also much lighter. This is actually the principle behind the effectiveness of hot compresses for most chronic pains: there is no acute congestion and edema in the local area during the remission period. Hot compresses can relax the muscles that have been tense, accelerate local circulation, and take away accumulated inflammatory metabolic factors quickly, just like draining a river that has been blocked for a long time. The discomfort of soreness and stiffness can dissipate much faster. For common female patients with chronic myofasciitis, primary dysmenorrhea, and chronic lumbar muscle strain, regular hot compresses during the remission period can effectively reduce the frequency of acute attacks.

But not all situations are suitable. Now many scholars in rheumatology and immunology and sports medicine have clearly stated that frequent hot compresses are not recommended during the remission period of chronic gouty arthritis. After all, urate crystals are originally deposited on the joint synovium. After hot compresses expand blood vessels, the crystals may loosen and fall off, causing acute pain. I met a 32-year-old girl with a history of gout before. She was afraid of cold ankles in winter, so she wore a baby warmer for two days in a row to keep warm when it wasn't painful. However, on the third day, she was so swollen that she couldn't wear shoes. She had to go to the emergency room to get rid of the inflammation. Also, if you have diabetic peripheral neuropathy or local skin hypoesthesia, don’t apply it casually even if the pain has completely subsided. If you are not sensitive to temperature, it is easy to cause low-temperature burns. By the time you feel the pain, it is often already blistered.

If you are really not sure whether you can apply it on your condition, you can actually try it on a small area with a warm towel for 5 minutes. After applying it, there will be no redness, swelling or worsening of pain, and then you can use it normally. The temperature should not exceed 45 degrees, and it should be controlled for 15 to 20 minutes each time. It is best to put a thin towel on it and don't put it directly on the skin, so as not to get burned. Oh, by the way, many girls with chronic dysmenorrhea are used to applying it when they feel pain. In fact, during the remission period of one week after menstruation, applying it on the lower abdomen and lumbosacral area for 10 minutes a day can actually reduce the pain during menstruation, and it will not cause an increase in menstrual flow as easily as applying it during menstruation. Many people have given me feedback after trying it and said it is very useful.