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Heat therapy and cryotherapy
Last reviewed: 03.07.2025
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Heat therapy is the use of heated media with high heat capacity, low thermal conductivity and high heat-retaining capacity for therapeutic, preventive and rehabilitation purposes. The main types of heat therapy are paraffin and ozokerite therapy.
Paraffin therapy
Paraffin therapy is a method of local action using medical paraffin heated to a temperature of 50-70 °C and applied in a certain way to the skin surface of the corresponding areas of the patient's body.
Paraffin is a mixture of high-molecular hydrocarbons obtained during the distillation of oil, with a melting point of 50-55 °C; it is a chemically and electrically neutral substance. Due to its high heat capacity, low thermal conductivity, and almost complete absence of convection, paraffin does not cause burns even at high temperatures (60 "C and above).
The peculiarities of the action of paraffin are determined by thermal and mechanical factors and the associated pyroelectric and compression effects.
Main clinical effects: anti-inflammatory, metabolic, trophic.
Ozocerite therapy
Ozokeritotherapy is a method of local action using medical ozokerite heated to a temperature of 46-50 °C and applied in a certain way to the surface of the skin of the corresponding areas of the patient's body.
Ozokerite (mountain wax) is a rock from the group of petroleum bitumens with a melting point of 52-70 °C; it consists of paraffin hydrocarbons, mineral oils, naphthenic resins, asphaltenes, mechanical impurities, etc.
The specific action of ozokerite is determined by thermal, chemical and mechanical factors and the associated pyroelectric effect, chemical reactions (interaction with the skin of gaseous hydrocarbons, various mineral oils, asphaltenes, resins, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide) and the compression effect.
Main clinical effects: anti-inflammatory, metabolic, trophic, desensitizing, vasodilatory, antispasmodic.
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is a method of local exposure of certain areas of the patient's body to cold factors of various natures and forms.
Physiotherapy considers methods of using cold factors that cause a decrease in tissue temperature not below the limits of their cryostability (5-10 °C) and do not lead to a significant change in the thermoregulation of the body, i.e. local hypothermia. The features of the factor's action are associated with a rapid decrease in tissue temperature in the area of cryoapplication. Physicochemical processes are caused by the pyroelectric effect, a change in primarily liquid crystal structures with subsequent conformational transformations. In these tissues, the intensity of metabolism, oxygen consumption and the speed of various types of membrane transport decrease, which in turn initiates the occurrence of corresponding biological reactions and clinical effects.
Main clinical effects: analgesic, anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, hemostatic, desensitizing.
Equipment: hypothermic devices with circulating cooled cryoagent - "ALG-02", "Iney-2", "Gipospast-1", "Gipotherm-1", "Cryoelectronics", "Termod", "Kholov 2F", "Yatran" and others; synthetic cryopackages, hypothermic thermal pads, point cryoapplicators and cryoprobes.
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