Make a warm compress - tips

Video: How to Make a Warm Compress for Your Stye

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Steps
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Warm packs can be used to treat many health problems, from muscle aches to stiffness. While you can buy a hot pack at a pharmacy, you can also make your own using simple, less expensive materials that are readily available in your home. Warm packs can help relieve menstrual pain, abdominal muscle spasm pain, and cramps. Before using a heating pad, you need to determine if these pain should be treated with a warm compressive or cold compress. At the same time, be sure to follow the safety precautions to protect yourself from burns.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Make a scented warm pack

Prepare material. Basic material includes clean long socks, some uncooked, dried rice, beans or oats to put in the socks. If you want the warm pack to add a calming aroma, prepare a little mint powder, cinnamon, or an herb that you like. You can use existing kitchen herbs, herbal tea bags or essential oils.
- Try adding lavender, chamomile, sage or peppermint to your socks for an extra soothing effect.
Put the ingredients in the socks. Fill the sock with rice, beans or oatmeal - about 1 / 2-3 / 4 socks. Be sure to leave enough socks to tie the knot. Or, you can pour the ingredients closer to the end of the sock if you want to sew it back to make a long-lasting warm pack.
- When adding the ingredients to your socks, you can add some fragrant powder or herbs for a pleasant aroma while applying warm compresses.
Tie or sew the sock end. Depending on how long you want to store the warm pack, you can either tie it temporarily or permanently sew the sock ends. The fastening method holds the material inside for a short period of time and is reusable socks. Or you can sew the sock ends to make a permanent compress.
- Sewing socks close to the material inside creates a hard pack, and conversely, sewing away from the ingredients creates a soft pack. You should manually adjust the hardness or softness of the cold pack to your liking before sewing again.
- If you make a soft pack, you can easily apply it to the neck and shoulder area to treat the pain.
Microwave the pack. After re-sewing, microwave socks for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, you should feel the warmth of the pack. If you are satisfied, you can remove the pack to use. If you want the pack to be warmer, keep in the microwave for about 10 seconds until the desired warmth is reached.
- Remember that placing hot material on the skin can cause burns and blisters. Optimal temperature should be between 21 and 27 degrees Celsius.
Place a barrier between the skin and the pack. You can either wrap the pack or place a towel / t-shirt on the area where you are going to apply the warm compress. This will help prevent skin damage or burns. You should check your skin every few minutes to make sure it's not damaged.
Place the heating pad on the skin. Stop and wait for the bag to cool down if it feels hot and uncomfortable. Once the pack has reached a comfortable temperature, you can apply it to the painful area for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, take out the pack to cool the skin, then apply for another 10 minutes if desired.
- If your skin begins to turn a dark red, purpleish color, develops red spots and eggs, develops blisters, swelling, or hives, you should see your doctor right away. The skin could have been damaged by heat.
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Method 2 of 3: Evaporate the heating pad

Moisten a clean towel. Run the water down a clean towel until it is fully saturated with water (drip it down). Place the towel in a sealed plastic bag (eg a claw lock bag). Keep the towels neatly organized to make sure they are evenly warm when you microwave them. At this point, you do not need to zip the bag.
Microwave the towel bag. Place the towel bag (open bag) in the middle of the microwave. Heat at high temperature for 30-60 seconds and increase by 10 seconds until desired temperature.
Use a kettle instead. If you don't have the microwave or feel unsafe to microwave plastic bags, you can boil some water in the kettle. Then, put the towel in the bowl and pour the boiling water. Finally, use the towel grabbing tool into a plastic bag.
- Warm compresses can be applied directly to the skin if you want the skin to be exposed to moisture. However, be very careful and make sure the pack is not too hot. An evaporative warm pack can help with sinus pain, but you also need to be careful to avoid burns.
Be careful when handling plastic bags. Since the towel is absorbent, there may be hot steam coming from the plastic bag. Therefore, be careful when taking the towel bag out of the microwave to avoid burns. Heat can cause severe shine to skin even if you do not come into direct contact with hot objects.
- Use a spatula when handling if the bag is too hot.
Seal the towel in the bag. Once the wet towel has been microwaved to the ideal temperature, you'll need to find a way to keep the hot steam in the bag so that the towel doesn't cool too quickly. Note that heat can cause severe burns, so be careful and protect yourself. Wrap a towel around your finger or wear kitchen gloves to protect your skin while zipping the plastic bag.
Wrap the plastic bag in a clean towel. Do not apply plastic bags directly to the skin. Therefore, you can use a clean cloth as a barrier. Place the plastic bag in the center of the towel and wrap the towel. This will prevent the plastic bag from slipping out of the towel and leave a single layer of towel between the pack and the skin.
Place the wrapped compress on the skin. Wait for the pack to cool down if the temperature feels uncomfortable. Be sure to rest your skin every 10 minutes and don't use warm compresses for more than 20 minutes.
- If your skin begins to turn a dark red, purpleish color, develops red spots and eggs, develops blisters, swelling, or hives, you should see your doctor right away. The skin could have been damaged by heat.
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Method 3 of 3: Know when to use a warm compress

Place a warm compress on the sore muscle. Muscle pain is usually caused by excessive buildup of lactic acid in muscle tissue. When you apply a heating pad to the sore muscle, the heat will draw more blood back to the painful site. Increased blood circulation will help flush excess lactic acid, helping to relieve muscle pain. Not only that, it also helps to deliver more oxygen to the sore muscle, thereby speeding up the healing of the damaged muscle. Feeling warm can "fool" the nervous system, reducing pain signals to the brain.
Use an evaporative warm pack to treat cramps. If you have a prolonged cramp, you need to rest the cramped muscle first. Don't overwork and avoid activities that stress the muscles to the point of causing cramps. Wait 72 hours before applying warm compresses to reduce the inflammation in the muscles (if any). After 3 days, you can apply an evaporative warm compress to the affected muscle to speed up healing.
Treat stiffness and joint pain with either a warm compress or a cold compress. Both of these methods are effective in treating joint problems. You can try each treatment to determine which is more effective.
- Cold packs help numb pain and reduce inflammation and swelling in joints by constricting blood vessels. While it may be uncomfortable at first, cold compresses can be very helpful in numbing acute pain.
- Warm compresses dilate blood vessels, increasing blood circulation to help speed healing. The high temperature also relaxes the tissues and ligaments in a stretched position, thereby increasing the range of muscle / joint motion.
- You can apply heat by soaking the sore area in warm water. For example, swim in a warm pool of water or simply take a warm bath.
Do not use heat therapy if you have certain health problems. Pregnant women, people with diabetes, poor circulation, and people with cardiovascular disease (e.g. high blood pressure) may react negatively to heat therapy. Talk to your doctor before applying heat to relieve muscle or joint pain.
- Always remember to have a towel between the heat source and the skin to prevent burns.
Do not use warm compresses for an acute injury. Warm compresses are best when applied to chronic injuries such as developing muscle pain or chronic joint pain. On the other hand, a cold compress is the best option right after an acute injury such as a sprained joint. So if you have a sprain, you should apply ice right away to reduce the swelling for the first 48 hours. If the pain persists for several days, you can use a warm compress to speed recovery. advertisement

Warning

Do not place the heating pad in one place for too long to avoid burning. Change the location of the warm compress every few minutes.
Do not microwave the pack for more than 1 minute to avoid overheating and melting the plastic bag.
Warm compresses should help you feel comfortable. Stop using the warm compress if it is uncomfortable.
Do not use warm packs for babies and children.