Between 10 and 30 minutes. Everything will depend on the method used for the application of heat and especially the area to be treated, because if the time of use is too long, it can cause unfavorable side effects such as dizziness and drops in blood pressure that could compromise the patient’s health, something very common when used in the cervical and neck area.
There are 3 thermotherapy application techniques, and each one has a specific application time. The first is conduction, in which heat is applied by contact with another solid surface. In this sense, the application of hot compresses, hot water baths, kerosene or mud therapy, whose sessions can be perfectly extended up to 30 minutes since lower temperatures are used compared to other methods.
The second form of application is by convection in which hot air or gas is used to transmit it to the muscular tissues. This method is usually applied in shorter sessions that rarely exceed 10 minutes since the hot air can injure the skin if applied for too long. And the last one is the radiation in which stands out the use of infrared, microwaves or therapeutic ultrasound, in which the application time can vary between 15 and 20 minutes.