Analysis of the Thermal Distribution Generated by a Thermal Patch to Evaluate Its Feasibility to Treat Patient’s Pain Relief

Abstract

Pain is considered a world problem; several options to release pain have been used. Although thermal patches are commonly used to release pain, there are not enough information to validate if they produce a real therapeutic effect. The present study was done in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a patch designed to keep a constant and uniform temperature through the treatment. 3D human models were generated to evaluate the thermal distribution generated by the patch located over different regions. The effect over fat, muscle and bones was analyzed. Temperature patch from 40 °C to 48 °C and treatment times from 900 s to 1800 s were included in this study. Results show that the thickness of fatty tissue is strongly related with the penetration depth of heat and the effectiveness of the pain therapy. Patch temperatures over 44 °C are the best option to treat regions even with a thick layer of fatty tissue.