Infrared lamp for back pain and neck complaints: how to use it

Anyone searching for infrared lamp back pain usually only wants to know one thing: how do you use such a lamp properly when your lower back or neck feels stiff. Not which lamp is best, not how many watts it has, but very practically where you sit, how far away the lamp should be and how long you can keep it up without your skin getting too warm.

That is what this guide is about. Per body part: the lower back, the upper back between your shoulder blades, and your neck and shoulders after a day behind a screen. Plus the part that is often skipped, namely when you are better off not using warmth and when your complaint belongs somewhere other than under a lamp. If you first want to know which model suits you, read the separate guide on choosing an infrared lamp for muscles and back complaints. Here we assume you already have one.

What warmth does for tension in the back and neck

An infrared lamp is a heat source. The radiation falls directly on your skin and warms it, without the whole room getting warm. On the spot you warm, the blood vessels open wider and more blood flows through them. That is exactly the same reaction you get from a warm bath, a hot water bottle or a warm shower. The difference is that you can aim a lamp, so you only warm your lower back or only your shoulders.

What people notice from it differs from person to person. Most describe it as pleasant, and say that an area that felt stiff feels a bit looser after fifteen minutes. That is an experience, not a treatment. Warmth changes nothing about the reason your back or neck is stiff. If you sit in the same position for twelve hours a day, you will keep noticing that, even if you sit under a lamp for fifteen minutes every evening.

Comfort and cause are two different things

It is useful to keep those two apart, because it determines what you expect from a lamp. Comfort is what you feel during and shortly after the session: warm, relaxed, sitting less tensely. The cause of a stiff back usually lies elsewhere, in posture, movement, load, sleep or stress. A lamp does something with the first and nothing with the second. If you know that, you won't be disappointed and you won't keep sitting longer or closer in the hope of more.

Before you start: setup, distance and timer

Most of what goes wrong with an infrared lamp goes wrong in the first two minutes. The lamp is too low, it shines on your jumper instead of your skin, or you sit down at random and then unknowingly keep moving closer. A few fixed habits prevent that.

1. Choose your position firstDecide whether you sit, lie or stand and get comfortable in that position before you switch on the lamp. A position that already gets annoying after five minutes is one you won't keep up for fifteen.
2. Put the lamp at the right heightThe centre of the lamp head points straight at the area you want to warm. At an angle from above or from the side also works, as long as the beam really hits the area.
3. Start further away and only then move closerStart at about 50 centimetres. If it still hardly feels warm after a minute, move closer in small steps until it is pleasant, never until it stings.
4. Uncover the skinWarmth gets through a jumper or thick trousers poorly and you notice less well when it gets too much. Take off the layer over the area.
5. Always set a timerEven if you are sure you won't fall asleep. Warmth makes you sleepy and a lamp shining on the same spot for hours is not a good idea.

Two more things you only need to sort out once. Put the lamp in a stable spot out of the walkway, with the cable placed so nobody trips over it. And mark roughly where the right distance is with a small rug, a chair leg or a strip of tape, so you don't have to estimate it again every time.

The lower back: an infrared lamp for back pain in practice

The lower back is the area most people come for, and at the same time the hardest area to do well yourself. You can't see your own back, you can't easily reach it with your hands and the lamp has to stand behind you at a height that is often just not right.

There are three positions that work in practice. Sitting the wrong way round on a chair, with your arms over the backrest and your bare back facing the lamp. You sit steadily, you can easily stop and you can keep an eye on the clock. Lying on your stomach on a mat, with the lamp aimed from above or at an angle from above. That is the most relaxed position, but also the one in which people doze off, so the timer really is needed here. And standing, with the lamp on a height adjustable stand behind you, which is handy if you only have ten minutes and don't want to lie down.

For the lower back you'd rather keep a little more distance than for an arm or a hand, roughly 40 to 50 centimetres. The reason is simple: you can't see what is happening. Redness that you notice straight away on your forearm, you only notice on your back once it is already unpleasant. Also loosen your belt and make sure no waistband or elastic sits tightly on the heated area.

Fifteen minutes to half an hour is a usual session for the lower back. If you want to do a larger area, move the lamp halfway through instead of sitting closer. And stop immediately if the feeling turns from warm to prickling or stinging. That is not a matter of gritting your teeth.

The upper back and the area between your shoulder blades

Between your shoulder blades is where many people with desk jobs feel tension. It is also the place you can reach least easily yourself, which is exactly why warmth is so appreciated there.

The best position is leaning forward. Sit astride a chair, lean with your arms on the backrest and let your upper back round. That brings the area between your shoulder blades outwards and the warmth falls on it evenly. The lamp stands at an angle behind you, slightly above shoulder height, and points down. That way the beam sweeps over your whole upper back instead of staying on one small area.

Pay attention to two things. Long hair often hangs right in the heated area and gets warm faster than you think, so put it up or move it to the front. And keep the beam below your hairline, so nothing falls on the back of your head and your ears. Fifteen to twenty minutes is more than enough here.

Neck and shoulders after a day behind a screen

Neck tension is the reason many people search for infrared lamp neck. The area is small, easy to reach and it is the easiest place to start with. You sit upright on a chair, the lamp stands at an angle behind or next to you, and the warmth falls on the top of your shoulders and the back of your neck.

Three points make the difference here. First, your face: sit with your face turned away from the lamp and never look straight into the bulb. Second, your ears and hair, which are close to the heated area and get too warm quickly. Third, the duration. The neck is thin and sensitive compared with the lower back, so keep it shorter, about fifteen minutes, and keep the distance generous.

What often works better than a longer session is a shorter session at a fixed moment. Straight after work, for example, as a transition between the working day and the evening. You can read more about that moment in the article on neck and shoulder tension after desk work.

Per body part: position, distance and time

The table below is a starting point, not a prescription. Everyone feels warmth differently and the right distance is ultimately the distance at which it stays pleasant. Always start further away than you think you need.

Two things go wrong most often here. People unknowingly move closer during the session because they get used to the warmth, and people make their very first session as long as possible straight away. Don't do either. Start with ten minutes and see how your skin reacts before you extend it.

Luxyor Redlight 160

• Telescopic stand on wheels, so you can also aim it at your lower back while standing
• Head adjustable 360 degrees for tricky angles such as the upper back
• 275 W bulb, separately replaceable
• 60 days to change your mind and a 2 year warranty

View the Redlight 160

When not to use warmth

This is the most important part of this guide. Warmth almost always feels pleasant, and that is precisely why people reach for it in situations where it isn't wise. The rule of thumb: warmth suits a stiff, tight or tired feeling that has lasted a day or longer. Warmth doesn't suit something that has just happened, something that is swelling, or something whose cause you don't know.

The reason behind most of these rules is the same. Warmth opens up blood vessels and that is exactly what you don't want in an area that is already swollen or has just been injured. And with skin that has less sensation, you miss the signal that you are going too far. You can read more about the risks that really exist and the misunderstandings that do the rounds in the guide on the safety of infrared blankets and lamps.

Combining warmth with movement and stretching

A session under the lamp is a moment of sitting still. For a back or neck that has been still all day, that in itself is not what is missing. That is why, in practice, warmth works best as a lead in to something else, and not as the whole routine.

A setup many people like: first ten to fifteen minutes of warmth on the area, then calmly do a few movements. For the lower back, for example, slowly tilting your pelvis, bringing your knees to your chest one at a time, or simply walking around the house for five minutes. For the neck: raising and lowering your shoulders, calmly turning your head left and right, without forcing and without bouncing.

Important here: stretching shouldn't be painful. A light pulling feeling is enough. Never stretch into something that feels sharp, and don't use the warm feeling as an excuse to go further than usual. That is one of the ways people actually strain themselves after a session. The guide sauna after exercise: warmth and recovery goes into more detail about timing around training.

A lamp gives you a comfortable fifteen minutes. What you do with your posture the other twenty three hours counts for more.

How often, and how to keep it up in an ordinary week

There is no frequency that is right for everyone. Most people who have a lamp at home use it a few times a week at fixed moments, and more often during a busy or cold period. Daily is also fine, as long as it stays pleasant and your skin reacts calmly. What doesn't work is a lamp you only switch on when you are already really bothered, because then it stays at a few times a year.

The practical secret is not in the schedule but in the setup. If the lamp is in a cupboard and you have to set it up every time, use drops off within two weeks. If it stands next to the chair you sit in anyway, it happens by itself. That is also why, for many people, a stand on wheels makes the difference between a lamp that gets used and a lamp that gathers dust. Sound familiar if you sit a lot? Then stiffness after a day of sitting is a good addition to this piece.

What you can and cannot expect from an infrared lamp

Being honest about this saves disappointment. An infrared lamp delivers warmth to a spot of your choice. That is comfortable, it is easy to dose and many people find it a pleasant moment of rest. It is no more than that, and it doesn't need to be more either.

What a lamp doesn't do: it doesn't take away the reason for your complaint, it doesn't replace physiotherapy and it says nothing about where a complaint comes from. If a complaint becomes bearable for shorter and shorter periods after a session, or keeps coming back faster, that is a signal to do something other than schedule another session.

There are also situations in which a lamp simply isn't the handiest tool. If you want to warm your whole body instead of one zone, an infrared blanket is more practical, because a lamp only ever reaches one area at a time. If you want warmth while you carry on working or moving, a portable infrared brace is handier than sitting still at a stand. And if you're still unsure which lamp model suits your situation, that choice is worked out in full in the guide on infrared lamps for muscles and back complaints, including the difference between a tabletop model and a lamp on a stand.

When to see your GP or physiotherapist

A lamp is comfort. For everything outside that, there is a professional. Go to your GP if you recognise one or more of these things:

• The complaint doesn't ease, or gets worse instead of better.
• Pain radiates to a leg or arm, or you have tingling, numbness or less strength.
• The complaint started after a fall, an accident or a blow.
• You also have a fever, feel generally unwell or are losing weight without explanation.
• It wakes you at night or you can't find a single comfortable position.
• You notice problems with passing urine or stools along with a back complaint.
• You are worried and simply want to know what is going on. That is a valid reason in itself.

A physiotherapist is the logical place for the other part: posture, load, exercises and how to adjust your workplace or your training. They can also help you see whether warmth is a pleasant addition in your situation and at what moment. This article does not replace medical advice and is meant to help you use a device properly and safely.

What to look out for

The pitfalls we come across most often when using an infrared lamp on the back and neck:

• Aiming the lamp at your clothing. Warmth gets through a jumper or thick fabric poorly and you notice less well when it gets too much.
• Unknowingly moving closer. You get used to the warmth, so you look for more. Fix the distance with a marker and stay there.
• Not setting a timer. Especially lying on your stomach, there is a real chance you'll doze off. This is the mistake with the biggest consequences.
• Doing your back without checking. You can't see your own back, so you only notice redness once it was already too much.
• Using warmth on a fresh injury. Swelling and bright redness are not situations for extra warmth.
• Thinking longer is better. Half an hour is not twice as good as fifteen minutes. Beyond a certain time it mainly becomes hot and uncomfortable.
• Taking the lamp into the bathroom. An ordinary lamp on a stand is not made for moisture and splashing water. Dry yourself off and use it in a dry room.
• Only using warmth and changing nothing else. A chair that doesn't fit you or a week without exercise doesn't change because of a lamp.
• Expecting it to solve a complaint. If something persists, it needs someone who can examine what is going on.

Luxyor Pulsebrace 110

• Wearable warmth around the shoulder, knee, elbow or wrist
• Handy if you don't want to sit still at a stand
• Adjustable settings and a fixed session length
• 60 days to change your mind and a 2 year warranty

View the Pulsebrace 110

In closing

Using an infrared lamp for a stiff back or neck is not complicated, as long as you stick to four things: choose a position in which the area is really uncovered, start further away and only then move closer, set a timer, and stop as soon as the feeling turns from warm to prickling. Follow it with five minutes of gentle movement and you'll get more out of it than from fifteen extra minutes of warmth.

And keep it honest. Warmth makes a moment more comfortable, it promises no more than that. Complaints that persist, get worse or radiate belong with a GP or physiotherapist, not with a lamp. If you'd rather warm your whole body than one zone, take a look at the Luxyor infrared sauna blankets. And if you want the background to infrared and warmth, you'll find it in the knowledge base on infrared and warmth.