Development and Assessment of a Controllable Heat Therapy Device with Real-Time Monitoring and Feedback System

Musculoskeletal and neuromuscular disorders encompass a broad range of conditions that affect bones, joints, muscles, nerves, and connective tissues. Among these, muscle strains and spasms are increasingly prevalent. Heat therapy offers an effective solution, reducing cellular damage, accelerating recovery from musculoskeletal injuries, and alleviating the pain associated with a variety of health conditions. Superficial heat therapy accelerates blood flow and circulation through vasodilation, resulting in increased warmth in the affected area. A minor elevation in temperature might alleviate discomfort and enhance muscle elasticity in the affected region. Heat therapy aids in the restoration of injured tissues and the relaxation of muscles. Traditional heating pads are incapable of delivering the specific temperature necessary for a given condition. Moreover, obtaining heat therapy from a physiotherapy clinic is expensive and challenging, especially for elderly individuals. This article provides a design methodology along with an evaluation of the produced controllable heat therapy device, which addresses a critical issue in traditional therapy systems by offering temperature and duration control features crucial for patient safety. In contrast to conventional equipment, this device incorporates monitoring systems to prevent burns resulting from excessively high temperatures. Users can conveniently adjust settings and monitor the temperature and the timer in real-time via a user-friendly mobile app. The device has demonstrated the capacity to increase the average blood flow rate by 25–35%. In addition, it has indicated a significant decrease of 2-4 points in the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain score. Moreover, the proposed system functions as exemplary telemedicine equipment, providing affordability and usefulness for home settings.