Do Hot Packs help with Nerve Pain?
Nerve pains can be very debilitating and often affect the quality of your life. If you are a working mum who suffers from nerve pain and has a busy life at home and at work, you might have reached out for a hot pack to manage this pain. Heat has been commonly used for centuries to help with pain relief. In this blog lets discuss if a hot pack really helps with nerve pain and how to decide if it is the right for your nerve pain as compared to a cold pack. 
  
First lets discuss how a hot pack can help with nerve pain. When you apply a hot pack, it causes the blood vessels in the area to expand (vasodilatation) and this causes the blood to flow into the area. This flow of blood brings with it an influx of nutrients and oxygen, which helps with healing the area. It washes away the pain producing substances that may have accumulated there. This helps in healing the nerves and reducing the nerve pain. 
Heat also helps to increase muscle elasticity and induces relaxation, thus reducing muscle spasm. If the nerve pain is due to an irritation of the nerve from a tight muscle, as it is in most cases, this can be beneficial to reduce the nerve pain. If you have a muscle spasm or tightness or a sudden catch in your muscles or you wake up with stiffness in your joints or spine (back or neck) that increases you nerve pain then try to use a hot pack. However, applying a hot pack does not mean it guarantees pain relief as we also need to identify and manage the cause of the nerve pain.  
 
On the other hand a cold pack is more helpful with acute nerve pain as cold can help to ease the inflammation in the area. Cold packs are also very helpful to ease the soreness or achiness that you may feel due to the inflammation. When you apply a cold pack the blood vessels will shrink or constrict (vasoconstriction). This will slow down the blood flow to the area. This gives time to the body to wash out the swelling and inflammation in the painful area. There is a decreased inflammatory signal in that area, thus promoting healing. Cold also slows down the nerve conduction, the reason why we feel numb when we apply ice to an area. If you have nerve pain due to an acute injury or inflammation then a cold pack is beneficial for you. 

Please be mindful of not applying the hot or cold pack that is too hot/cold or going to sleep with a hot or cold pack on due to risk of burns. Another word of caution for those who suffer from diabetes or other neuropathies and cannot differentiate between hot and cold sensation. Please refrain from using a hot pack due to risk of burns/cold burns.

Watch this video for a deeper understanding on the use of hot and cold packs:


 
These are the general guidelines for the use of heat or cold packs but the final decision of whether you should use a hot pack or a cold pack depends on how your body responds to it.  Listen to your body on the body and see what works better for you. It is possible that this effect varies between different body parts and from one person to another. 

If you want to know the hot and cold packs that I use, you can find them HERE.
 
HERE is a free guide on "How can you manage your nerve pain?" where you can get more information about what are nerve pains, how do you know if you are suffering from nerve pains, simple solutions to manage your nerve pain and much more. 

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MEET SWATI

 
Hi there! 
I am Swati, an Executive Mum Power Coach & Certified Posture Expert

I help mums of young kids working in high-stress executive jobs manage back, neck, and nerve pain, even with low energy, brain fog, and little time to spare. My proven system delivers real relief without stealing hours from your already packed day. The result? More productive professionals at work and guilt-free mums who can be fully present with their kids, instead of being sidelined by pain.



My passion comes from personal experience. I’ve been where you are: in pain, overwhelmed, and exhausted. After two pregnancies in three years, juggling my kids, housework, and a demanding job, I was stuck in a constant cycle of back and nerve pain. The physical load of motherhood added strain to my spine and joints. Meanwhile, adrenal fatigue left me drained, even after 10–12 hours of sleep.

Everyday tasks became a struggle. I was forgetful, foggy, and low on energy. Even as a trained physiotherapist and posture expert, I couldn’t escape my own pain. I stood all day at work, spent evenings on the laptop, rocked my kids to sleep, sat through endless meetings, traveled frequently ... I’ve been through it all.

I kept my pain hidden at work, afraid to speak up. I felt like a fraud, someone who coached others on relief strategies but couldn’t find relief herself. I loved my job and my children, but I couldn’t give 100% to either. Pain was holding me back.

One New Year, I made a resolution: to get healthy, not just fix pain, fatigue, or weight. I focused on reducing inflammation, healing my adrenal fatigue, and reclaiming my energy. Slowly but surely, the pain faded. I lost weight, my brain fog cleared, and my energy skyrocketed. Today, my pain is nearly gone. I feel stronger, clearer, and more in control than I have in years.
And now, I want that for you.

I combine professional expertise with lived experience to support other mums like me, those with young kids, high-stress jobs, and no time for complicated health programs. I’ve helped hundreds of women reduce spinal and joint pain, lift their energy, and clear the mental fog that holds them back.

If any of this resonates, you’re not alone. I’ve been there. I got you, mommy!

Let’s get you feeling strong, confident, and fully present at work and at home.
Are you ready to start? Curious about how this works? Just ask.

Let's DO THIS!
xx Swati
** Executive Mum Power Coach **

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