Effects of moist and dry hot pack on microvascular blood volume.

Abstract

To examine the effect of moist and dry hot packs (HPs) on lower leg circulation, 10 lower limbs of 5 healthy adults were studied. A moist or dry HP was applied to the calf in the prone position for 20 minutes; the former was wrapped in 8 cotton towels, and the latter in a vinyl bag and 3 cotton towels. The skin surface temperature and microvascular blood volume were measured before and after HP application. As a result, a significant increase in the microvascular blood volume of the lower leg was observed after the application of a moist HP. Such an increase was not observed with dry HPs. These results demonstrated that moist HPs are effective to increase lower leg circulation.