According to the Encyclopedia Britannica website, paraffin wax is a colorless or white, somewhat translucent, hard wax. It consists of a combination of solid straight-chain hydrocarbons which vary in melting point from about 48 to 66 degrees C (120 to 150 degrees F), has many uses and is found in many products, including candles, wax paper, cosmetic, polishes and electrical insulators. The Scribd website states that using warm paraffin wax on the hands and feet can provide you with soothing and therapeutic effects. It can also help reduce edema and inflammation, pain, muscle spasms and adhesions and scar tissue.
Reduced Edema and Inflammation
Your use of paraffin wax treatments is a conservative, cost-effective and constructive way to address any swelling or inflammation you might experience following a traumatic foot, ankle, wrist or hand injury. Paraffin wax treatments are especially helpful for those affected by rheumatoid arthritis or symptomatic degenerative joint disease, according to the Scribd website. A gentle heating effect, along with an even distribution of heat, are two important paraffin wax-associated properties that help speed your recovery, particularly during the sub-acute and early chronic stages of your inflammation.
Decreased Pain and Muscle Spasm
The Merck website recommends you try paraffin wax baths as a way to treat pain and muscle spasms in your hands and feet. Paraffin wax treatments are particularly helpful if you are suffering from a condition called Raynaud’s phenomenon, in which blood vessels in your fingers and toes constrict, causing discoloration of your fingers, toes, and occasionally other areas, such as your lips. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, Raynaud’s phenomenon typically is triggered by cold or emotional stress. The International Scleroderma Network recommends you use paraffin wax treatments to combat your Raynaud’s phenomenon, but only under the supervision of your physical or occupational hand therapist, and with the proper equipment, such as a TheraBath unit.
Reduction of Adhesions and Scar Tissue
Paraffin wax treatments soften your adhesions and scar tissue, facilitating stretching and mobilization exercises that will speed your healing and may improve your affected joints’ range of motion, according to the Scribd website. During the initial two minutes of your paraffin wax treatment, your skin temperature increases 12 to 13 degrees C, and by the end of your treatment, your subcutaneous tissue temperature will have risen 5 degrees C. Your increased skin and subcutaneous tissue temperatures leave your affected tissues soft and pliable, which are the ideal conditions in which to break up scar tissue and eliminate adhesions. Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM)–a scar reduction technique primarily performed by chiropractors and acupuncturists that uses beveled-edge tools–is a helpful adjunct therapy at this point in your treatment.
