Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Two authors independently assessed methodological quality and extracted data, using the criteria recommended by the Cochrane Back Review Group.
Nine trials involving participants were included. There is moderate evidence that heat wrap therapy reduces pain and disability for patients with back pain that lasts for less than three months. The relief has only been shown to occur for a short time and the effect is relatively small. The addition of exercise to heat wrap therapy appears to provide additional benefit. Cold treatments include ice, cold towels, cold gel packs, ice packs and ice massage.
Both therapies are simple to apply and are inexpensive. Traditionally, ice has been recommended for acute injury and heat has been recommended for longer term injuries Grana ; Michlovitz Superficial heat modalities convey heat by conduction or convection.
Superficial heat elevates the temperature of tissues and provides the greatest effect at 0. However, deep heating is achieved by converting another form of energy to heat, for example, shortwave diathermy, microwave diathermy and ultrasound Vasudevan Cold therapy is used to reduce inflammation, pain and oedema. Superficial cold includes cryotherapy, ice, cold towels, cold gel packs, ice packs and ice massage.
Trials were included in which superficial heat or cold therapy was administered to at least one group within the trial. Trials of spa therapy balneotherapy were excluded because that intervention is being assessed by another Cochrane review. At the time of publication of our review, the protocol for the balneotherapy review had only proceeded to the editorial review stage.
