One of the most compelling reasons to book a sauna appointment at ºdegree Wellness is the natural pain relief associated with infrared sauna therapy.
Toss the pain pills and step into one of our healing infrared sanctuaries to relieve tension and relax muscles. ºdegree Wellness infrared sauna heat works by penetrating joints, muscles and tissues, increasing circulation and speeding oxygen flow. By reducing soreness on nerve endings, our infrared heat reduces muscle spasms and helps the body heal itself naturally.
For years, doctors have recommended our saunas, made by Sunlighten, because of proven relief from sports injury, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, arthritis and other chronic pain conditions.
Infrared wavelengths penetrate the body to create heat, which creates profound therapeutic benefits. They increase blood flow to the muscles, delivering more concentrated oxygen, which creates more energy to heal.
Studies on Sauna Pain Relief
A 2013 study conducted at the Auburn University at Montgomery compared stretching in an infrared sauna compared to a typical training room environment. Participants completed a series of hamstring stretches in random order with 48 hours separating the sessions. Results showed that acute flexibility increased up to 3x in the infrared sauna than without! Benefits to the increased range of motion include joint mobility, less friction in the joints, enabling of joint function to diminish stiffness and joint relaxation.
A recent Japanese study published in the journal, Internal Medicine, showed that chronic pain patients experienced a significant reduction in pain levels (nearly 70%) after the first session of infrared sauna therapy. Pain scores also decreased significantly and remained low throughout the observation period. Researchers concluded that infrared heat therapy is effective for chronic pain treatment.1
Additionally, in a NASA study done by Dr. Whelan with near-infrared heat, determined that LED technology allows for deep penetration of tissue and increased cell growth from the inside.2
Finally, a 2003 study conducted by the Department of Dermatology and Institute of Medical Research showed that use of near-infrared heat therapy helped the production of white blood cells to alleviate inflammation and reduce swelling, two key factors in easing bodily pain.3
Find Your Personal Pain Relief
Infrared saunas have resulted in effective in pain management therapy for many different ailments. Here are just some of the conditions in which infrared sauna therapy has been successfully used for pain relief.
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
Those who suffer from PAD can experience severe leg pain caused by reduced blood flow and oxygen to the lower legs, which can get worse with walking. But Japanese researchers found that infrared sauna sessions of just 15 minutes a day significantly lowered pain, and patients were able to walk twice as far without pain.
Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis
Those who suffer from autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis often struggle with pain management that comes with hefty side effects. But with sauna therapy, pain relief can be found without negative outcomes. A study has shown that while in the sauna, all patients with these conditions felt significantly better, and at the end of the study, those with rheumatoid arthritis showed improvements in pain and fatigue while not in the sauna.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia causes pain throughout the entire body, with particular areas of sensitivity. Studies have shown that not only does infrared sauna use help with natural pain relief during treatment, but even months after ending sauna treatment the pain was still significantly lower.
Emotional Pain
Physical pain is often given much more credit in our society than pain caused by emotion. But medical doctors have begun to understand the real physiological impact of psychological issues. Infrared sauna therapy works for the pain that can’t be seen, too. In the same study of chronic pain patients, researchers also found that patients had a statistically lower anger level compared to those not in the sauna group.4
Take control of your pain with the natural healing of infrared saunas for pain relief.
References:
- Internal Medicine (Tokyo) Aug 15, 2008 by Matsushita K, Masuda A, Tei C. The First Department of Internal Medicine, Kagoshima University Hospital, Kagoshima, Japan.
- Whelan et al; The NASA Light-Emitting Diode Medical Program- Progress in Space Flight and Terrestrial Applications. CP504, Space Technology and Applications International Forum-2000, edited by M. S. El-Genk. Copyright 2000 American Institute of Physics l-56396-9 19-X/00.
- Lidija Kandolf-Sekulovic, Milena Kataranovski, Milos D. Pavlovic. Immunomodulatory Effects of Low-Intensity Near-Infrared Laser Irradiation on Contact Hypersensitivity Reaction. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed 2003; 19: pp 203–212, Blackwell Munksgaard.
- UHN Staff. “New Hope for Chronic Pain Sufferers: Infrared Sauna Therapy Shows Impressive Pain-Reducing Results.” University Health News, www.universityhealthnews.com/daily/pain/new-hope-for-chronic-pain-sufferers-infrared-sauna-therapy-shows-impressive-pain-reducing-results. Accessed 7 January 2017.