Guides and tools: everything we publish about hard heat
Short answer
This page is the index for everything we publish on Heat and cold therapy: how long, how often, and when not to use either. It lists every guide, tool and reference table in the order we would use them, and each one is written to answer a question rather than to fill a page.
New here? Start with the guides, then use the tools to check your own numbers before you buy anything.
Start here
| Step | What to do first | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Read the guide that matches your situation | /blogs/news/how-long-should-you-use-a-heating-pad |
| 2 | Run your numbers through the tool before you choose a size or a setting | /pages/which-one-to-buy |
| 3 | Check the comparison page for the exact item | /pages/which-one-to-buy |
Start with the guides
- How long should you use a heating pad? Timing, safety and the numbers clinicians actually give — The useful answer is 10 to 30 minutes per session, 20 as a default. What decides whether you get burned is the barrier between the pad and your skin, the setting, and whether your skin can feel heat at all
- Heat or ice? A decision guide for recovery that starts with the clock — The decision is mostly about time since injury and whether the area is swollen. Here is the rule, the reasoning, the guideline sources, and an honest account of where the evidence is thinner than the advice
- Where to place a heating pad for back, knee and period pain — Placement is the difference between useful heat and a red mark. Here is where to put a pad for the four areas people treat most, and which spots are worth avoiding
Compare what we stock
- Which one to buy: every option we stock, compared — every option we stock, with price, type and who it suits
Run your own numbers
- Which one to buy: every option we stock, compared — enter your own numbers and get an answer, with the method shown
- Heat or ice? A quiz that gives you an answer and a reason — enter your own numbers and get an answer, with the method shown
- Heat therapy session planner: safe minutes, sessions and breaks — enter your own numbers and get an answer, with the method shown
- How we research, test and correct these guides — enter your own numbers and get an answer, with the method shown
How we research and test
- How we research, test and correct these guides — our sourcing rules, what we refuse to do, and how to report an error
How this index is orderedGuides first, because they explain the trade-off. Tools second, because a number that applies to you beats a general recommendation. Reference tables last, for the details you check once. Nothing here is ordered by commission.