The human body’s creation and management of heat can be exploited to achieve therapeutic goals.



Heat - A form of energy associated with the motion of atoms or molecules in solids and capable of being transmitted through solid and fluid media by conduction, through fluid media by convection, and through empty space by radiation.


Heat - The perceptible, sensible, or measurable effect of such energy so transmitted: especially a physiological sensation of being hot


Centrally mediated (hypothalmus) temperature regulating mechanisms include: circulatory changes, shivering, or sweating via afferent-efferent systems.


Close regulation of core temperature is required for optimal enzyme and other protein mediated chemical reactions.



HEAT TRANSFER



Heat transfers from a warmer source to a cooler source.

Conduction - Heat loss or gain through direct contact between materials with different temperatures


Convection - transference of heat to a body by the movement of air, matter, or liquid around or past the body


Radiation - transference of heat, usually through air from a warmer source to a cooler source.


Conversion - resulting heat when energy is transformed from one form to another


Evaporation - transformation from a liquid to a gas state




Factors Influencing Tissue Temperature Change



• Temperature differences between the thermal agent and the treatment tissue


• Time of exposure to the thermal agent


• Thermal conductivity of the treatment tissue/therapeutic media


• Intensity of the thermal agent





Physiological Effects of Heat are Exploited for Therapeutic Gains



Whether the natural hot springs around the world, the ancient solariums of empires gone by, or the modern application of heating modalities. The therapeutic benefits of heat have been recognized for centuries.


Based upon the known physiological effects of heat, indications for its use include:


pain management


reduction of muscle spasm


facilitation of lengthening of shortened connective tissue


facilitation of tissue healing




Physical therapist assistants must be aware of a variety of conditions that the application of heat may do harm



A pillar of medical ethics is nonmaleficence. It means “do no harm.”not only do physical therapist assistants need to properly administer physical therapy interventions, they also need to know when not to, in order to avoid doing harm.




-CHECKPOINT-



This is a good time to pause and assess your knowledge of key concepts. Below are links to a few learning activities that might assist your mastery of the material.


Completing some of the tasks may also earn you class participation credit! However, most importantly it will assist in your learning.


You should attempt to complete the assignments without using your text, notes, etc., as they are designed to test your knowledge—just like taking a test in class—but without the grade consequences.


Tasks include mock exams, games, clinical scenarios, and more. Click/tap on the activities and see how much you know!


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