Before I fixed my computer posture in 2011, lower back pain took a beating on my quality of life.
My lower back was like the middle of a rope during a tug-of-war. But it wasn’t 2 human teams competing against each other.
Instead, it was my tight upper back and shoulders on one team. The other team was my tight hamstrings and deactivated glutes. And my lower back was being pulled apart, causing hyperextension of multiple muscles.
Heat therapy has helped me with certain types of lower back pain. But its effectiveness depends on the cause of the pain. Improper use can worsen some conditions.
I’m dedicating this post to talk about whether or not heating pads are good for lower back pain (in my experience). Nothing in this article is medical advice. I simply talk about my own personal experience. Do your research. Make good decisions. Talk to a doctor. But be the best advocate for your own healthcare.
Is A Heating Pad Good For Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints. Especially among office workers who sit at a computer 8 hours a day.
Many people self-treat without understanding the cause. I’ve been guilty of this in the past. My lower back was the affected area. But the cause of the pain always started in another location. Whether it was my tight hamstrings, or my dysfunctional knee, or my deactivated glutes.
Heat can relieve muscle-related pain but may worse inflammation in early injury. Understanding when to use heat vs cold can help improve recovery safely and effectively.
What Is A Heating Pad
A heating pad is a device that’s used for applying heat to our soft tissue. I use one to increase circulation, reduce inflammation, and decrease pain.
They can come in different forms, such as:
- electric
- microwaveable
- wearable
- infrared
- gel
What Are Heating Pads Used For
- muscle spasms
- chronic back stiffness
- menstrual cramps
- arthritis pain
- neck and shoulder tension
How Do Heating Pads Work
Heat causes vasodilation, which increases blood flow.
Vasodilation makes blood vessels wider. Which increases blood flow to damaged, inflamed soft tissues.
Improved circulation delivers oxygen and nutrients.
Blood carries oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. The more blood circulation, the better the delivery.
Heat reduces muscle guarding.
Muscle guarding is tightening muscles to protect injuries, ideally leading to less pain. Unfortunately, muscle guarding can make things worse. It can cause tight, overused muscles that surround the injury.
Heat therapy can relax these guarded muscles, by delivering more blood and nutrients to overused, injured tissues.
Stimulates thermoreceptors that interfere with pain signals.
This is similar to how cold therapy works. We all know about using ice packs (or a cold pack) to reduce pain. Heat therapy can interfere with pain signals just like a cold compress.
Are Heating Pads Good For Lower Back Pain
Sometimes. For desk workers, our back pain is usually chronic. It’s due to repetitive strain while in a poor posture. The benefits of heat can help improve blood can help improve blood flow to our overused lower back muscles.
As a full-time computer user, heating pads have been a valuable way of how to avoid lower back pain when sitting. Because prevention is important. And it reduces the risk of future back pain from sitting.
But for an acute injury, heat therapy is not recommended for pain relief. In fact, it’s likely to make the pain worse. An acute injury is from a specific event that causes pain quickly.
A good example, of when not to use heat, would be if my lower back hurts immediately after I fell and landed on my butt. Adding heat to my lower back, in this situation, would cause more swelling, inflammation, and pain.
How To Use A Heating Pad For Lower Back Pain
Set temperature to medium.
I always set my heating pad to medium. Because I only want to increase my blood flow slightly to the injured area.
Apply 15 to 20 minutes.
I don’t want to keep a heating pad on my lower back for too long. I just do 15 minutes max (personal preference). Anything longer and my lower back starts to get too relaxed and weak. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, just like with how to improve posture while sitting at computer.
User barrier cloth to prevent burns.
This may sound unnecessary, but it’s a real concern. Heating pads reduce pain, but they can also reduce the feeling in my skin when I’m getting burned. And before I know it, I’ve been getting burned for multiple minutes.
Sit or lie in neutral spine position.
Anytime I’m in a posture or position for long periods of time, I want to keep my spine in a neutral position. Even when I’m sleeping. Because it’s not always what position I’m in at a computer (sitting vs standing), it’s how long I’m in that position.
Sitting in a neutral spine position is one of the most important ergonomic variables to improve posture at computer.
Combine with gentle stretching after session.
When blood flow is increased from a heat wrap, it’s a great time for me to stretch my muscles. But only gently. I don’t want to overdo it. The benefits of heat might make me think I can stretch a lot, but I don’t want to risk it. Because overstretching could make my pain worse. And once that happens, it’s too late.
How Long To Use Heating Pad On Lower Back
I only use my heating pad for about 15 minutes on my lower back. And only when it’s tight from chronic pain caused by repetitive strain.
I don’t ever use a heating pad on pain that was caused by an acute injury. Which happens from a specific event, like spraining an ankle, or falling. In this case, I don’t use heating pads for at least the first 3 days (or until most of the pain has gone away). I don’t even get in a hot bath during the first 3 days (with an acute injury).
You might also like this post: “Are Sit Ups Bad for Lower Back Pain?“
Thanks for your interest in computer posture.
Todd Bowen – Computer Posture Correction and Pain-Free Ergonomics: For Office Workers Who Want to Fix Their Sitting Pain
P.S. If you liked this article, you’ll love the digital store I just published.
🙏 Thank you for supporting my work. -Todd