Got Back Pain? Give These Heat Wraps A Try! By jcraine on Jan 05, 2009 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

Well, I pull a muscle in my left hip doing something (I don't even know what I did wrong!) this weekend, so I decided to give the ThermaCare HeatWraps (four wraps to a box) for the lower back & hip. My hubby already had these in the house, but hadn't opened the box yet. He has been having lower back problems since he fell off a ladder six months ago. So, I read the directions and warnings like so:

Directions:

Tear open pouch when ready to use. It may take up to 30 minutes for ThermaCare to reach its therapeutic temperature.Place on pain area on lower back or hip with darker discs toward skin.If you are 55 years of age or older, wear ThermaCare over a layer of clothing and not directly against your skin.Attach firmly. For maximum effectiveness, we recommend you wear ThermaCare for 8 hoursI tear open the pack that fits ladies from pant size 4 up to size 20 and mens pant 28 to 47 inches. Everything is easy to do. Just put the darker discs next to the area that hurts, wrap it around you, then close it with the velcro. Fits good and feels good.

Warnings:

THIS PRODUCT CAN CAUSE BURNS AND SKIN IRRITATION. Your risk of burning increases as you age. If you are 55 years of age or older, wear ThermaCare over a layer of clothing and not directly against your skin. Each heat disc contains iron (~2 grams), which can be harmful if ingested. If ingested, rinse mouth with water and call a Poison Control Centre right away. If heat disc contents come in contact with your skin or eyes, rinse right away with water. Never heat product in microwave or attempt to reheat as heat wrap could catch fire. Keep out of reach of children and pets.

This product can cause burns, guys. After about an hour and a half, I felt my skin starting to hurt. I moved it and adjusted it, but could stand it no longer. I had to take it off. Luckily, I could pass it on to hubby. He wore it about an hour and a half before he had to take it off, too, because he couldn't stand the heat.

This pad, according to the directions, can stay hot up to 8 hours. Too bad I couldn't get my money's worth out of it because it really did feel good. And my back does feel better this morning.

Because I couldn't stand to wear it longer, I think I'll just stick to my heating pad. If you don't have a heating pad, these pads are definitely worth the money for the relief they do give at the time.

One warning: Please don't put these on invalids or the bedridden. I can see how they could get burned badly.