Early on my mother introduced me to my first heating pad. It became a constant companion when my period came around and on any day where I felt cramps or lower back pain.
About three months ago, my heating pad stopped working. I went to get a new one at the store and saw that they were buy one, get one half off, so I sprung for two extra large ones.
I finally had full coverage: front and back. I was wrapped in heat. Glorious.
I used the heating pads on my lower back and abdomen every day for hours at a time. I kept them on the hottest setting. It was the only way it helped.
Many times my lower back would feel numb from the extended period of time on the heat. I’d come away with marks on my belly and back that lingered in patterns of red.
Relate?
Stop Using Heat for Endometriosis Pain
A couple of months ago an article came into my inbox from Melissa at Endo Empowered titled: “STOP Using Hot Water Bottles for Endo Pain!”
Included was a video she did with Chris Toal, Director of Wellness at Work Ltd. Chris specializes in deep myofascial release massage. He specializes in endometriosis and has helped over a thousand women with endometriosis feel better. (See more about him and testimonials from other endo sisters here).
His suggestion: stop using heat for endometriosis pain.
Say what?
I couldn’t give up my heat. No way. How would I live without my heating pad? These thoughts swirled in my mind when I closed the email.
There must be some mistake. The heat made me feel better. How could it be bad?
The Role of Fascia, Adhesions & Scar Tissue
It goes back to the role of fascia. Fascia is a band or sheet of connective tissue beneath your skin that’s primary made of collagen. It’s flexible and surrounds your muscles or other internal organs.
Your abdomen and lower back are covered by a layer of fascia. It’s right underneath your skin.
According to myofasical manipulation theories from Ida Rolf, it’s proposed that connective tissue is a colloid substance that can be influenced by the application of energy – heat or mechanical pressure.
Fascia has a consistency like gel. So, according to Ida’s theories, it can turn to liquid if you heat it up, or it can get really hard like an old, stale gummy candy that you can barely get a knife through.
Think about it like Jello. It’s made from gelatin, which comes from collagen in different animals. What happens when you heat up gelatin in its hardened state? It liquifies. Then when it cools off it becomes solid again.
This is bad news if you have adhesions or scar tissue from endometriosis. Scar tissue is made of collagen!
So the idea is that once the fascia cools down and resets from its liquid form, it adds to the collagen in the adhesions and makes them tougher.
Adhesions are a major cause of pain with endometriosis. By heating them all the time, the process repeats.
Are You Addicted to Heat?
The heat provides temporary relief because it’s essentially numbing that fascia layer, so there’s temporarily more movement.
Over time it takes more to numb the fascia layer. You need hotter and hotter levels. The process becomes addicting.
I was most definitely addicted to heat. I needed hot temperatures to get any relief, and like I mentioned, I’d walk away with my back and front numb. My skin was a near permanent shade of red.
The relief was temporary. Obviously. I was using my heating pads almost all day long!
Further proof of my addiction was my reaction to this new information. I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to stop using my heating pad.
Heat Elimination Trial
Even though I had this new information, I didn’t stop right away. I continued to put the heat on my belly. But I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Was my heating pad really doing me harm?
I struggled to release the companion that’d traveled with me for over a decade, to accept the truth that what provided relief was actually not serving me.
The only way to stop the cycle was to stop the heat.
So, that’s what I did. I stored my heating pads away. Out of sight, out of mind.
At first it was hard. I missed my heat. I missed the way it relaxed me, the way it warmed me up. But I persevered and stayed away from it for a couple of weeks.
Until I came home from walking my boxers with a sore lower back (the price of a crazy boy dog that’s still learning to walk properly).
Forget it, I thought, as I pulled out my old friend. I set the heating pad up against the back of the chair and sat back on it. Ahhh. Instant relief.
But what happened next was enough to convince me. Once the heat was off and my back cooled down, the pain got way more intense and this followed into the next day.
Was the heat making things worse? I tested it again. Same result. The heat made the pain worse!
After cutting out the heating pad for a couple of weeks and introducing it back in, this was evident.
On the Positive Side?
If you’re like me you may be thinking, no heat? What do I do when pain strikes?
To help you with some ideas I put together a free guide with 25 natural pain relief strategies.
I’m not ready to give up my baths, but I have been more conscious of the water temperature. Warm is Ok, just don’t make it super hot.
Are you addicted to heat? What do you think?
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Much LOVE,
This is the first I’ve ever heard of this. If true, it will impact a lot of women significantly. Got a link to the scientific study it came from? I’d like to know what methods they used to come to this conclusion.
Thanks!
Hi Maude. This came from a man who’s helped over a thousand women with endometriosis get better via myofascial release/fascial kinetics. He wants successful outcomes, so he won’t even see you if you continue to use heat. Heat makes things worse. Here’s the video interview with him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uQ5DbgGnDQ
And more about his practice with testimonials: http://www.wellnessatwork.co.nz/documents/cpps-and-endo-treatment-information.pdf
Very interesting as I will no longer be using a heating pad after tears of use…I developed 2nd degree burns on my back from a heating pad! Quite painful & scary. Mine is not like the one posted and I’m working with my Dr. for a different option. My endo pain has increased 10 fold after surgery to remove 2 years ago. It came back 2 months later, sadly.
Sorry to hear that MJT. Good idea to cut the heat. It could be adding to the adhesions from surgery. I hope you find something that helps you. Much Love.
Do know if insurance would cover this type of treatment.
Hi Leah. Your insurance may cover myofascial release massage (I’m assuming that’s what you’re referring to), but you will likely need a referral from your doctor.
It would be awesome to see if there was a link to some studies on this. The fact there don’t seem to be studies and they are trying to make money off of this practice is a bit fishy to me.
Hi, love. Unfortunately studies require funding and heating pads and endo aren’t generally something organizations are going to put money into to study. I’ve included many testimonials in the post here from women who’ve found relief by cutting the heat, and can only speak from personal experience. When it comes to endo I’ve found the best “studies” often come from stories of other women and trying things out to see how your body reacts. We’re all different. Much Love 💛
Very interesting, after having surgery for fibroid tumors, I find that I am over using my heated mattress pad and heating pads for back pain and digestion issues. Using them even in the summer…I do feel an addiction to the comfort. Just this past month I have had to stay away from my home for 5 nights each week, caring for and aging relative and I noticed that my digestion problems were improving and I was taking less medicine to cope with them the only difference I can identify is that I am not using the heated mattress pad every day, I have been searching for info but only found info about how heated blankets can possibly cause cancer, but your information sheds light on my problems as well. Thanks
Interesting. Thanks for sharing. I do think it’s one of those things that you have to stop for awhile to notice the difference. It definitely is addicting! I hope that you’re healing up and feeling better, love.
I was soooooo addicted to heat!!! And this all makes so much sense to me (and probably to my dr if I told him) I continue to have adhesions on my left side, the side I always keep my heating pad on…. but I recently stopped using my heating pad a couple of weeks ago for a totally different reason. I had been having a lot of bladder pain and for some reason the heat worked better if kept on my lower back. Well I basically sat on this heating pad for days, weeks, and then I started having blood with bowel movements, and I’m sure there is someone else out there who has had to fight with doctors saying the endometriosis pain is diverticulitis, so with the blood I was getting so confused. Come to find out it was internal hemmoriods, I had a pint of blood sitting in my rear, and there is no doubt in my mind that heating pad was at fault. Thank you for sharing!!! It just confirms my decision to get off the pad ☹️😉😀
Hi Kelly. I’m glad that you discovered the connection too. I hope you feel better without. I know it’s hard at first, it gets better! Sending Love.
Man, that is asking a lot of an endo sufferer to give up heat when in pain, I have given literally everything up already… pain killers, foods I loved, beauty products, really anything that I read could help my endo pain I’ve done it but what in the world am I to do without heat while in pain? I have other techniques like ginger tea, cramp bark etc but I always use them with heat. I might have to see more evidence on this one to believe it’s worth it. I mean endo pain is ridiculously bad and now I’m supposed to suffer without any relief?
Hi April – I totally get it. I have cut the heating pad, but I do still love a warm bath. I’ve been more conscious of the temperature. I think the biggest thing is to avoid hot heat. So, if you use your heating pad use it in moderation on a lower setting.
I just made it through my first cycle in eight years without the heating pad. My period started today and the pain was mild! I’m wigged out by it. My husband asked me three times if I was really on my period. Ha. It is possible to make it without the heat.
But if you’re not ready to cut it, I totally get it. I loved my pad for so, so long, but in the end I see now that it wasn’t serving me. Sending Love.
Interesting, indeed. Have you heard of Dr. Lara Briden, ND? Your blog was referenced by a commenter one of her endo posts. Her blog is larabriden.com (her book Period Repair Manual is incredible, if you haven’t read it) which is how I ended up over here. You have so much great information on your sight. I am enjoying all the content and learning a lot. Thanks for posting.
I have. Her book is on my to-read list. Happy you found me here. Sending Love.
she’s also got a great podcast http://everydayacupuncturepodcast.libsyn.com/riding-the-hormonal-tide-natural-methods-of-period-repair-eap054
which is how i discovered her. enjoy
Thank you!
Thanks so much for getting the word out Aubrey. Been at this for nearly two decades and delighted to have some help. Personally I have a strong distaste for the damage Endo and current Endo treatments cause and heat for period pain is truly a bad option. On our http://www.azollahealth.com website there is a Tennis Ball Technique we developed for selfcare that’s downloadable for only for NZD$1.95. That along with your other advice should help to get them headed the right way. 🙂 Keep up the good work, by working together we can beat this thing. Chris
Thanks Chris! And thank you for all that you do to help ladies with endometriosis. I’ve been off the heating pad for four months now and I feel so much better. I’m going to check out the technique with the tennis balls. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Aubree. I’ve been using castor oil packs recently and this technique requires heat – have you any idea what I should do here? Would it be more beneficial to warm the oil and do it without the heat pack? Many thanks.
Hi Victoria. If you use the heat keep it on a warm setting, not hot. Chris answers this question in the video with Melissa and he says that heat isn’t necessary for the castor oil packs. The heat from your body is enough. The oil is absorbed by your skin. I use an old T-shirt and then cover up with a blanket.
I’m so glad that somebody has said that heat actually makes things worse. When I apply heat for my period cramps, it all gets so much worse and I barely last a few minutes before taking it away. When I search on google about it, literally nothing comes up. At least I’m not going insane.
Yup. Glad it validated things for you, love.
I’m awaiting excision surgery (really want some relief at this point…can’t take it anymore!). I’ve heard it’s a pretty rough recovery…is that true? Do you think it’ll help me and give me at least a little relief? I’m just in AGONY and EXCRUCIATING pain. 🥺😥😰😫😩
Hi Rachel! It certainly takes time for your body to heal after surgery. It took me about a year before I felt semi-normal again. I found a lot of relief this past cycle by using CBD. There’s a great product by Joy Organics that has CBD + Curcumin, which is a natural pain reliever. Check that out here. (If you use code ‘peacewithendo’ at checkout you’ll save 15%)
Also, I’ve found relief with the internal suppositories from a company called Foria. Check those out here. And again if you use code ‘peacewithendo’ you’ll save 10%.
Best of luck with your surgery and recovery time. Much Love 💛
Thank you soooo much Aubree for all of the helpful information that you mentioned to me. With everything that’s going on…my surgery date is unknown… 🥺 (when I do have it…I’ll let you know how it went). Much ♥️ 💛
Of course. Good luck with your surgery. Much Love 💛
Well shit. I don’t want to believe this either, I don’t know if one specialist’s opinion is enough to convince me. Especially when my doctor is currently trying to get me off medication with codeine so my heat pack really is my only relief right now. But at the same time I also have burn marks across my lower back and stomach from overusing my heat pack :(((
Hi, Tahlia.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell how something is impacting you until you cut it out and re-introduce it. That’s what convinced me. If you stick with the heat, I’d try reducing the temperature, so it’s not burning you, and limiting your time with it. Much Love 💛