Is It Safe To Use Heating Pad For Sore Muscles During Pregnancy?
Pregnancy brings with it a lot of uncomfortable and achy days. During pregnancy the mother’s body changes a lot. It has to make many adjustments to accommodate the baby and also carry it around for 9 months. All these adjustments lead to sores in the muscles of neck, legs or feet and also the very common backache. Heating pads are a quick and easy way of easing these pains. But expectant mothers are usually concerned regarding the safety of such heating pads.
Why The Concern?
During pregnancy mothers are advised not to let their core body temperature go above 102.2 degrees. Too much of heat may lead to neural tube defects in the baby. So it is no doubt a concern among mothers as to how safe the heating pads are. Apart from that, heating pads that work on electricity also tend to be a worry to the mothers as it is often heard that exposure of the child to electromagnetic fields may have a negative effect on the developing fetus.
Is It Safe?
There have been no such evidences that prove the so-called risks attached to the use of heating pads during pregnancy. Firstly, the heat from the heating pad does not raise the overall body temperature of the mother. This is because heating pads are used in localized areas of the body like the muscles of the legs or the back. Such centralized heating does not raise the overall body temperature in any way. Moreover the heat in such pads is usually on a moderate level; thus is does no harm to the baby. Only caution to be maintained is not to use the pad directly on the belly. This can be very dangerous for the baby. Apart from that, heating pads are safe.
As for the matter of electromagnetic field, the level of emf required for doing substantial harm to the developing fetus is far more than that present in the heating pads. Hence, this does not pose as a threat.
Pointers For Safe Use Of Heating Pads:
- As said before heating pads should be used for the specific body parts like the back, neck, legs, feet etc. under no circumstances should it be used for treating any soreness of the belly. These matters should be discussed with the physician.
- The heating pad should be used for short intervals. It should not be used for more than 15 minutes at a time. The expectant mother’s skin is usually very sensitive. Thus exposure to too much heat for long, in a localized area can cause much discomfort. It is important to regulate the temperature and the intervals of usage.
It is safe to use heating pad during pregnancy to ease the sore muscles. In case a mother wants to avoid using heating pads, she can always switch to traditional methods like hot water bottles or a towel warmed in a microwave. In case of pains due to injuries, an ice pack often works better than the heat.
