Heat therapy is one of the tried, tested, and widely used methods of alleviating pain. By applying targeted heat to specific areas, one can easily find quick relief for muscle or joint aches and pains, cramps, injuries, and arthritis. It also helps with the stiffness of joints.
If you are looking for an effective heating pad, you will find a number of options in the market. Among them, the two main heating pads available these days are the regular ones or infrared ones. When investing in either of the two- you should be looking for effectiveness, safety, long-term use, and of course, better quality.
Regular Heating Pads VS Infrared Heating Pads
Electric heating pads are the most common and standard types of heating pads. With an anti-flammable fabric outside, they contain a coil inside. An electric current warms up this coil. The heat generated is then applied to the affected parts. Cotton fibers are used to radiate heat on the desired area.
In comparison, infrared heating pads use Far Infrared Therapy that uses carbon fibers to radiate infrared rays. These rays penetrate into the skin to increase blood circulation and provide relief. With infrared pads, cotton fibers, as well as jade, amethyst, and tourmaline stones, aid in transmitting the infrared to the skin.
EMF Exposure
One major difference between these two types of pads is how much EMF (electromagnetic fields) they emit. Exposure to EMF radiation is known to be harmful to humans. Basically, your EMF exposure has a direct relation with your distance from the pad. All regular heating pads emit these radiations, and when applied directly, you do get exposed to EMF quite a lot.
In comparison, infrared heating pads work by keeping EMF levels to a minimum. To avoid over-exposure, infrared pads are definitely a better and safer choice.
Penetration
Using an infrared heating pad, you can expect the heat to penetrate 4-6 inches into your skin. In comparison, heat reaches only 2-3 mm into the skin when using a regular heating pad.
Long-lasting
One major benefit of using infrared heating pads is that they give you long-lasting pain relief compared to the regular ones.
Regular heating pads work until the pad is turned on. Soon after you turn it off, the pad becomes cool and as there was not much penetration, the pain often returns. This is because they only heat the surface of the skin.
But with infrared, as the heat goes much deeper into the body, it stays there too. You can expect to get 4-6 hours of relief after using this type of heating pad.
Price
When it comes to price, regular heating pads are inexpensive and affordable compared to infrared heating pads.
There is an additional price to pay for the technology used in infrared heating pads and the benefits, plus added safety that you get.
We hope this guide helped you in finding out how these two types of heating pads differ and assisting you in choosing the one that is better suited for you.
One response to “Infrared Heating Pad vs a Regular Heating Pad”
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