This post will review the best infrared heating pads that are worth purchasing to help relieve pain and offer other health benefits.
Disclaimer: some of the links in this post are affiliate links whereby I make a small commission if you purchase the product through that link. This does not cost you anything extra and helps me to keep this website running.
Before we get into the best infrared heating pads I felt it was important to review the basics of infrared light or radiation, infrared therapy, and the benefits of infrared radiation.
Table of Contents
- What is infrared?
- What are infrared heating pads?
- Differences between regular heating pads and infrared heating pads
- Are red light and infrared the same thing?
- The pros and cons of infrared heating pads
- The Best Infrared Heating Pads
- Frequently asked questions:
- Other health information you will be interested in:
- Our expertise:
What is infrared?
Infrared radiation (IR) is electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between 760 nm and 100,000 nm. Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light and shorter than radio waves and so it is therefore invisible to the human eye.
What are infrared heating pads?
Infrared pads are heating pads that use infrared light or radiation. This is compared to regular or traditional heating pads which instead use conductive heat.
Differences between regular heating pads and infrared heating pads
Infrared heating pads are different than traditional heating pads or regular electric heating pads. Standard heating pads, or more conventional heating pads, produce conductive heat, which only heats the surface of the skin, whereas infrared heat penetrates 2.36 inches deep, which is meant to target pain and inflammation where it originates and offer more effective relief from pain. Plus the lower, gentler infrared heat doesn’t burn or dehydrate the skin. This offers a therapeutic advantage over traditional heating pads that have a more shallow penetration.
The low heat from infrared pads acts to increase the flexibility of collagen tissue, reduce inflammation, decrease joint stiffness, relieve muscle spasms and reduce pain, offering a multitude of benefits. Infrared pads have been shown to help relieve back pain.
One thing to note is that infrared pads do not get very hot. This is normal. Infrared heat is not very hot heat. They have one heat setting and the lower temperatures are what help make them more effective. Plus, with the low heat there is no risk of burning the skin or dehydration which can happen with traditional heating pads if they are left on a high setting against the skin for too long.
Are red light and infrared the same thing?
Infrared light is a type of energy your eyes can't see, but your body can feel as heat. Red light is similar to infrared, but you can see it. Red light therapy is also called low-level laser therapy (LLLT), low-power laser therapy (LPLT), and photobiomodulation (PBM).
The pros and cons of infrared heating pads
There are many benefits of using infrared heat pads including to help decrease chronic pain, decrease inflammation and help with tissue healing.
Studies and clinical trials have shown that infrared radiation can improve the healing of skin wounds, provide photoprevention, relieve pain, stiffness, fatigue of rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, potentiate photodynamic therapy, help treat ophthalmic, neurological, and psychiatric disorders, and stimulate the proliferation of mesenchymal and cardiac stem cells. In other words, infrared radiation can have many positive health effects and health benefits.
The main con of infrared pads is their cost. They are more expensive than traditional heating pads, but they are also more effective. They are also less flexible than traditional heating pads and often take longer to heat up.
The Best Infrared Heating Pads
Now that we have reviewed what infrared heating pads are and what the benefits of infrared heating pads are, let's review the best infrared pads. Just note that this review only includes infrared heat pads, not red light heating pads, infrared saunas, or infrared mats, all of which are different.
There are actually very few brands that make infrared heat pads so I have tried to review them all for you here. This is my honest review of four different infrared heating pads that I have personally tried and used. Just note that I have only tried one pad from each brand and have not tried every size of pad from each brand (that would have been way too expensive!).
1. Thermotex Heating Pads
Thermotex is a Canadian company that makes far infrared heating products including pads and mats for people, pets and horses. They use a patented far infrared heat technology that penetrates 10x deeper than regular heating pads, and won't burn or dehydrate the skin.
Thermotex infrared products are the most clinically studied and tested far-infrared ray products on the market which is why they are my top recommendation and overall best choice.
The pads have been studied in both humans and horses and their human study has shown that their infrared heating pad can help relieve back pain. The brand is one of the innovators of infrared technology, and I have met the owners and they are also really kind and generous people. I always love supporting a local, family run business!
Price: Range in price from $119 to $749.
Features: Their products come with a 1 year warrantee and a 30 day guarantee. They can be shipped to Canada and the United States. You also have the option of purchasing a 2 or 4 year extended warrantee with many of their products.
Pros:
- Their products have medical grade certification and are FDA and Health Canada registered.
- Whenever I have muscle pain, joint pain or menstrual cramps I do find that using this pad really helps with pain relief.
- My personal favourite product from Thermotex is the Thermotex Platinum Far Infrared All Purpose Heating Pad. This is the infrared pad that I use and love! It is their most popular option and one of the most affordable infrared pads on the market. It is a very durable heating pad that is extremely well made.
- Their pads come in a variety of sizes to target different body parts including pads for knees, wrists, feet, and neck. Just note that I have not personally tried these other size options.
- If you are an animal lover like me they also make infrared heat pad options for dogs and horses!
Cons:
- The pads are more stiff compared to conventional heating pads so it took some getting used to when I first starting using it.
- There is no automatic shut off so you do have to remember to turn the pads off.
iReliev Heating Pads
iReliev is a Texas based company that makes many different products, and when it comes to infrared therapy they make the iReliev® Far Infrared Heating Pad. This heating pad combines all-natural jade and tourmaline (some of the most widely used wellness stones), and is designed to help with pain relief. It is great for muscle recovery, muscle tension, as well as pre-workout and post workout use.
The jade and tourmaline stones in this heating pad, when heated, generate negative ions that are meant to improve your overall wellbeing. Note that this claim has not been validated with any studies and I am personally rather skeptical. However, the jade stones help make the pad more flexible which I do really like.
Price: $139 USD
Features: comes with a 2 year warrantee.
Pros:
- One of the most affordable infrared heating pads on the market.
- This pad is more flexible when compared with some of the other pads in this review which is why it's my second overall choice.
Cons:
- Only one size option.
- The brand has not done any clinical studies on their heat pads.
Pure Enrichment Heating Pads
Pure Enrichment is based in Santa Ana, California and makes many premium home, health, and personal care products. They have passion for healthy living and a balanced lifestyle and this is reflected in the variety of products they sell.
The Pure Enrichment heating pads feature a built-in layer of ceramic beads that emit safe and healing far infrared wavelengths that penetrate muscles more deeply than traditional heating pads. These heating pads are designed to help temporarily relieve major and minor muscle aches and pains, including inflammation, period cramps or menstrual cramps, joint stiffness, arthritis pain, spasms, and more.
Price: range in price from $49.99 to $59.99 USD.
Features: come with a 5 year warranty.
Pros:
- They offer a variety of sizes to target different parts of the body.
- Heat up quite quickly
- Have a smart auto shut-off feature to power down the heating pads after 2 hours of continuous use. I really like this feature because I have forgotten to turn my other pads off from time to time.
- Are the most affordable pads in this review and have the longest warranty.
Cons:
- Don't offer as many size options as some other brands.
- The brand has not done any clinical studies on their heating pads.
UTK Technology Heating Pads
UTK Technology specializes in far-infrared heating pads and makes a few different infrared heating pads. Their infrared pads are FDA registered as Medical Devices Class II and use a combination of negative ions from jade stones, far-infrared rays and natural stones to try and give you optimum healing.
Price: range from $139.99 - $230 USD
Features: They offer a 3 year warranty on their products.
Pros:
- They offer pads in a variety of sizes and prices points including a pad designed for back pain and pads for smaller body areas that can be worn around the targeted area such as around the shoulders, wrapped around your neck, around your low back, wrapped around the knee, worn around your wrist and hand and more.
- The larger pad can be used more like a heating mat.
Cons:
- The pads are pretty stiff.
- No automatic power shut off.
- The brand has not done any clinical studies on their heating pads.
Frequently asked questions:
Not every brand of infrared pads have done studies to prove their effectiveness but Thermotex has done studies to show that their heating pad is effective for relieving pain.
In order to be effective, it is important that infrared heat pads be used properly. To see benefits, it is important to use an infrared pad for at least 30-45 minutes (longer if desired) on each area being treated.
For the most benefits you should use your infrared pad daily. To see even more improvement you can use it twice a day.
You should not use infrared heat pads if you are pregnant, have hemophilia or severe adrenal insufficiency or suppression (for example if you have Addison's disease).
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Our expertise:
Dr. Erin Carter, MD, FRCPC, is a physician with board certifications in internal medicine and rheumatology. She is passionate about preventative healthcare including nutrition, environmental health and low toxicity living.
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