Paraffin Wax Bath

Introduction

It is a form of deep heating therapy which mainly use paraffin oil and wax to promote pain relief to hand, feet, sore joints and muscles. The actual temperature of paraffin wax is 42-52°C whereas its melting point is 51-54.4°C. The melted wax should not be poured directly on the body tissue as it may lead to thermal injuries. In order to avoid this, melting point of wax is usually lowered by adding an impurity in the form of paraffin oil.

Physical Principle

The heat transfer during paraffin wax bath therapy occurs through conduction from the layer of solid paraffin wax into the skin. When the warm paraffin wax are applied to the skin, it causes the blood vessels to get expand by improving the circulation, promote healing and removing toxins out of the skin.

Paraffin Wax Bath Unit

• Parts of PWB includes container, mains, thermostat, thermostat pilot lamp, cap and casters.
• The container of PWB is usually made up of steel.
• The ratio of paraffin wax and mineral oil is 6:1 or 7:1
• The composition of the solid wax : liquid paraffin : petroleum jelly is 2:1:1