How To Use Lava Sand Heating Pads For Your Arthritis

by Bill Lantz April 14, 2022

If you are living with some arthritis pain, you don't have to go on without any relief from your pain.

And a lava sand heating pad can help with that.

Use the lava sand heating pad for cold therapy for pain, inflammation and swelling. Use the lava sand heating pad for hot therapy if you need to improve the circulation to the affected area.

Read on to find out more about arthritis is and why cold or hot therapy are the preferred treatment.

What is arthritis?

When people think of arthritis, they think that it is something that only affects old people.

But that is simply not true.

There are many reasons you can get arthritis outside of just old age.

According to the Mayo Clinic:

"Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis causes cartilage — the hard, slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones where they form a joint — to break down. Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the immune system attacks the joints, beginning with the lining of joints."

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arthritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350772

I've known a few people that have had arthritis as they have gotten older.

Most of them get it because of some type of repetitive motion over and over again.

For example, some people who sit at a computer and type all day end up with some type of arthritis in their wrists.

For another example, some people who spend a lot of time playing at the piano end up with arthritis as well.

Getting arthritis ends up making doing certain things or moving certain ways hard and painful to do.

There are certain signs that you have arthritis.

This includes, but is not limited to, pain, stiffness, swelling, redness, and a decreased range of motion.

So if you see any combination of these signs, then you might have arthritis.

Visit your local doctor to get confirmation of this and they can start talking to you about different ways to treat it.

There are different risk factors that could lead to you being more susceptible to getting arthritis.

This includes the following:

Family history. If your family has a history of arthritis, then you are more likely to get it as well.
Age. The risk of arthritis increases with age.
Sex. Depending on what your sex is will determine which arthritis you are more susceptible to. For women, this is rheumatoid arthritis and for me it is gout.
Previous injuries to your joints. People who have injured their joints are more likely to experience arthritis. This includes people who may have gotten injured playing a sport.
Being overweight. Being overweight puts extra pressure on your muscles and joints. The additional weight puts more wear and tear on your body and that means eventually you are at a higher risk of arthritis.

While we are giving all the information we can on this article, please make sure that if you feel like you are having severe arthritis, you should immediately contact your local doctor.

We can do our best to provide all the information we can, but your doctor should be the one you depend on for diagnosing arthritis and figuring out the best treatment for your situation.

Different types of arthritis

Once you know you have arthritis, there are two types that you could be afflicted with.

The first one if these is Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is what is defined as the regular wear and tear on your bones and joints.

Eventually the cartilage is going to wear down to where movement is bone on bone instead of bone on cartilage.

This is why repetitive motion like playing a piano or type on a keyboard can lead to pain and swelling.

Rheumatoid arthritis is the other type of arthritis you can have.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease where the body's immune system attacks the lining on the joint and eventually this is going to destroy the cartilage.

Treatment for arthritis

Now that we have a better idea of what arthritis is and the different types of arthritis, we can talk about the best ways to treat your arthritis.

Unfortunately there isn't a permanent solution to arthritis.

When you get arthritis, you are pretty much stuck with it and all you can do is treat it so you don't have to live with the pain all of the time.

And a lava sand heating pad can help you with the pain.

Cold treatment

Cold treatment is typically used for decreasing blood flow to a particular area of your body.

It also helps to reduce inflammation and swelling.

And this can be really helpful in the case of arthritis.

According to Healthline.com:

"Cold therapy, or cryotherapy, decreases blood flow to the affected area, which can reduce swelling and inflammation. It may have a numbing effect and help to relieve pain. However, it may exacerbate muscular tension.

In general, cold therapy is best for painful, inflamed joints, making it the best option for acute pain, inflammation, or swelling. It may be beneficial to do cold therapy after exercise or physical activity that causes discomfort. For best results, elevate the affected area."

https://www.healthline.com/health/arthritis/heat-or-cold-for-arthritis#types-of-cold-therapy-for-arthritis

So first, if you know you have arthritis and you do a participate in a particular event you know will cause inflammation, then make sure to have your lava sand heating pad ready for cold treatment.

Then once you've finished your activity, then you can directly apply the cold pad to your arthritis areas.

Apply the cold lava sand heating pad to the arthritic area for 20 to 30 minutes.

Then put the lava sand heating pad back into the freezer to use it again later in the day.

After at least 2 hours, pull the cold lava sand heating pad out and place it over your arthritis areas again.

Continue and repeat all throughout the day until you feel like all the pain is gone.

Hot treatment

Going back to Healthline.com:

"There are several types of heat therapy, called thermotherapy, options for arthritis. Heat therapy improves circulation and causes your blood vessels to expand. This helps your body to deliver more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the affected area, which may reduce inflammation, stiffness, and pain. Heat therapy may also improve mobility, which makes it easier to relax, loosen up, and move.

If a heat therapy session causes swelling, redness, or inflammation avoid further treatments until your symptoms subside. Avoid using heat therapy during a flare-up or the acute stage of an injury. Talk with a healthcare professional before using heat treatments if you have heart disease or high blood pressure."

https://www.healthline.com/health/arthritis/heat-or-cold-for-arthritis#types-of-heat-therapy-for-arthritis

The hot treatment is going to help with the swelling, inflammation, and pain as well.

But the hot treatment also helps with the movement of the particular arthritic area.

For example, if you use hot treatment on your arthritic wrists, then it should be a lot easier for you to move your wrists after you have applied the hot treatment.

For hot treatment with the lava sand heating pad, first pull it out of the refrigerator.

Then you are going to place it into your microwave and set the timer for 3 minutes.

Once it is done in the microwave, put a towel around it, so you don't end up placing the heat right onto your skin.

If you do place the heat directly onto the skin, you could end up giving yourself a rash.

And then you have other problems you have to deal with.

Lastly, place it on the arthritis and leave it there for 20 to 30 minutes.

You should then start to feel some relief from the arthritis.

Don't leave the lava sand heating pad on your skin for more than 30 minutes.

After that, put it back in the refrigerator and wait until you are ready to use it again.

Just like with the cold treatment, you want to give yourself 2 hours before you try to apply it again.

And if you do decide to apply it again, place it in the microwave for 3 minutes and repeat the steps.

Which treatment is best?

The treatment that is best for you depends on one thing.......YOU.

You really need to try out both treatments and test it out for yourself.

If you feel like your arthritic areas work a lot better after a cold treatment, than that is the one you should use.

If you don't feel the pain as much after the heat treatment, then use that one instead.

You could also try switching off and on with the hot and cold treatment, as switch between the two might give you even more relief.

And don't be afraid to try either.

Just make sure you try it with the lava sand heating pad.

Because with the lava sand, you can try both the hot and cold and not have to worry about having different heating pad options.

Summary

Arthritis is something that affects a lot of people.

According to the CDC:

"In the United States, 24% of all adults, or 58.5 million people, have arthritis. It is a leading cause of work disability, with annual costs for medical care and lost earnings of $303.5 billion."

https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/factsheets/arthritis.htm#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%2024,lost%20earnings%20of%20%24303.5%20billion.

That is quite a few people.

So it isn't uncommon and probably most of us will get it.

But don't be afraid to get yourself a nice lava sand heating pad to use it for either hot or cold treatment.

And then hopefully you can find some relief from the pain of arthritis.