Muscle Strains & Heat Therapy: Warming up Your Pre-Workout Routine

We have all been there… racing to the gym just in time to make the final class of the day or turning on a workout video at home only to miss the first five minutes while we remember where we misplaced our other sneaker. In either case, it is common for many to jump right into a workout without giving thought to warming up our bodies first.

Stretching may be the most common method to warm up muscles, but if you have sustained any type of chronic injury, then extra measures like HEAT THERAPY may be needed to aid the healing process. A chronic injury is one that has developed slowly and has persisted for a length of time usually due to overuse of a muscle, as opposed to a traumatic incident.

Applying HEAT THERAPY to chronic injuries and taking preventative measures for strained muscles before exercise helps increase the elasticity of joint connective tissues and increases blood flow to the affected area. Devoting time to heat therapy for just 15 minutes before you begin your workout will help relax tight muscles and muscles spasms and future reduce pain and swelling.

Here are some helpful tips on when to use HEAT THERAPY:

• Pre-workout
• Chronic injury
• Strained muscle prevention
• Tight muscles
• Muscle spasms

It is important to note that because heat increases circulation and raises skin temperature, you should not apply heat to acute injuries (rapid onset and short-lived injuries) or injuries that show signs of inflammation – both of which should be treated instead with COLD THERAPY. Additionally, heat should only be used before exercise to warm the muscles, but should be avoided after exercise.

Know when to use ice and when to use heat! Find more info in our Hot/Cold 101 section!