Anodyne therapy uses infrared rays to provide heat to the targeted body part which helps stimulate blood circulation. With improved blood flow, nutrients come in and toxins are flushed out. This finally results in the recovery of the affected body part. In this HealthHearty post, we will discuss the concept in detail.
Does the pain push you to the verge of tears? Do you find it difficult to concentrate on anything due to acute pain? Are you looking for a fast and permanent solution to your pain? Have you heard of Anodyne therapy?
If your answer is “no”, then you must read on to know more about this new and amazing pain relief therapy. On the other hand, if your answer is “yes”, we urge you to continue irrespective. Let’s discuss different aspects of this therapy and satisfy some important queries.
What is Anodyne Therapy
It is a type of light therapy that uses monochromatic infrared rays to increase blood circulation. This helps relieve pain, muscle spasm, and stiffness in various parts of the body. It makes use of a special equipment called infrared therapy device which is applied directly to the skin over the affected area. The monochromatic infrared photo energy from the device passes through the skin and reaches the target area. It stimulates blood circulation in that particular region. Blood brings in nutrients and oxygen, and flushes out the toxins. When this process runs successfully, the affected area recovers and begins functioning normally.
The therapy generally proves to be effective, immediately after the first session. The number of sessions depend on the patient’s history and the severity of the pain. On an average, 3 to 4 sessions are effective enough to obtain desired results. This therapy has been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) as being one of the remedies that helps to temporarily increase blood circulation and reduce pain, stiffness, and muscle spasms.
Technique
Anodyne therapy can only augment the effect of occupational or physical therapy. Therefore, it is basically meant for patients who are already undergoing regular conventional therapy. A patient can receive this form of therapy, either from a health care practitioner or at home. It depends upon the convenience of both the provider and the receiver. A provider should ideally have a certificate to provide the therapy.
Before the first session, the provider conducts a detailed interview with the recipient in order to understand the onset, duration, and intensity of the pain. The patient is also required to discuss his/her recovery goal and the type of physical therapy already undergone.
Safety Aspects
The therapy can be used by relatively healthy patients. It can be applied to various body parts, including the spine. It can also be safely used on metal implants, pins, screws, pacemakers, and defibrillators. No adverse effects have yet been reported, but this therapy is still in its infant stage. There is still immense scope for medical research to be done in this field. It would be beneficial to consider the following points, to be on the safer side, before opting for the therapy.
- It is always safe to opt for the therapy only after getting a prescription from a registered medical practitioner.
- There is a possibility of skin burn as the therapy involves infrared light. Therefore, the duration of exposure is something to be considered during application.
- A tingling sensation is felt on exposure to infrared rays, as blood circulation is stimulated. For patients suffering from blood disorders, the tingling and burning sensation is heightened.
- Diabetic patients need to check their blood sugar more frequently while getting active therapy sessions.
- Pregnant women should not use it over the abdomen or lower back as it might harm fetus development.
- This therapy should not be used on cancerous tumors.
- Topical heating agents like Icy Hot, Bengay, and Capsaicin should be completely removed before the session.
When a health care practitioner believes that the therapy might help, he/she recommends it to the patient. It is at this time that most people are made aware of this form of therapy.
The fact is that Anodyne therapy is relatively safe to use and has relieved thousands of people from pain and sickness. The provider only needs to be careful about the exposure levels of infrared light. The result would be nothing less than a happy, painless sigh of relief, on the face of the patient.
Disclaimer: This HealthHearty article is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.
