The short-term efficacy of heat therapy for osteoarthritis of the hands: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Journal of rehabilitation medicine · DOI 10.2340/jrm.v58.45883
Research topic
Sauna & Heat Therapy
Human research on sauna bathing, passive heat exposure and heat therapy.
Current index
140 publications · 100 trials
Records can overlap with other topics. Counts describe what the current search strategy indexes; they do not measure clinical certainty.
Study-design mix
Systematic review / meta-analysis12
Randomized controlled trial26
Controlled / clinical trial1
Observational research3
Other research98
Publications
Latest indexed papers
Metadata is sourced from PubMed. Full abstracts and article text are not republished here.
Systematic review / meta-analysis
Plantar Foot Microvascular Reactivity and Oxygenation in Type 2 Diabetes and Peripheral Artery Disease: An Exploratory Study.
Microcirculation (New York, N.Y. : 1994) · DOI 10.1111/micc.70078
Sauna bathing: motivations, perceived benefits, and gender differences- a descriptive health promotion study.
International journal of circumpolar health · DOI 10.1080/22423982.2026.2710003
Effects of local heat on metabolic health, frailty risk, and exercise adaptations in pre-diabetic older adults: Protocol for the Heat and Exercise in Aging as Therapy (HEAT) clinical trial.
PloS one · DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0351577
Three hours of targeted limb passive heating increases conduit artery shear rates and lowers vascular stiffness.
Physiological reports · DOI 10.14814/phy2.70924
Case Report: Moxibustion-induced burns leading to disseminated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Frontiers in endocrinology · DOI 10.3389/fendo.2026.1860646
Identifying the interaction between skin temperature, maintained thermal comfort, and conduit artery shear rate through limb passive heating.
Physiological reports · DOI 10.14814/phy2.70923
The effect of additional skin wetting on physiological strain and exercise performance: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Journal of thermal biology · DOI 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2026.104494
Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, Electrical Muscle Stimulation, Exercise and Heat on Back Pain-A Randomized Controlled Clinical Exploratory Trial.
European journal of pain (London, England) · DOI 10.1002/ejp.70302
Acute effects of passive heat exposure on vascular function and exercise capacity in patients with chronic kidney disease.
American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology · DOI 10.1152/ajpheart.00020.2026
Reflex vasodilation and sweating in response to passive whole body heating are blunted in women with major depressive disorder.
Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · DOI 10.1152/japplphysiol.00147.2026
Effects of Bathtub Bathing and Sauna Practices on Cardiovascular and Systemic Health: A Narrative Review.
International journal of environmental research and public health · DOI 10.3390/ijerph23030347
Heat and cold interventions: unveiling synergistic and counteractive mechanisms for health benefits - a narrative review.
International journal of biometeorology · DOI 10.1007/s00484-026-03177-6
Lifelong heat exposure as a potential contributor to Alzheimer's disease resilience.
Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · DOI 10.1177/13872877261433226
Acute blood pressure responses and safety considerations in heat therapy interventions: A narrative review.
Complementary therapies in medicine · DOI 10.1016/j.ctim.2026.103341
Hemodynamic and vascular effects of different durations of lower-leg hot-water immersion.
American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology · DOI 10.1152/ajpregu.00309.2025
Acute measurement of flow-mediated dilation following passive heating in adults: The confounding role of altered shear stress and baseline vasodilation.
Physiological reports · DOI 10.14814/phy2.70723
Sauna culture improves physical and mental wellbeing in the UK through social connection and ritual.
Social science & medicine (1982) · DOI 10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119061
Testosterone-Optimizing Strategies in Athletes.
Sports health · DOI 10.1177/19417381251411933
The effects of hot-water immersion on cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory health of healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Physiological reports · DOI 10.14814/phy2.70668
Heat therapy attenuates hepatic lipid accumulation via CSAD-driven metabolic reprogramming of fatty acid oxidation.
Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular and cell biology of lipids · DOI 10.1016/j.bbalip.2026.159722
Heat Therapy: Targeting Health, Disease, and Disability.
Comprehensive Physiology · DOI 10.1002/cph4.70089
The influence of heat acclimation on the relation and agreement between perceptual and physiological strain in older males during exercise-heat stress.
Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme · DOI 10.1139/apnm-2025-0360
Chewing gum versus heat therapy for postoperative recovery in patients undergoing gynecologic oncology surgery: A randomized controlled trial.
European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society · DOI 10.1016/j.ejon.2025.103095
Ingesting menthol in a beverage may alter the sweating response during passive heat stress, but only when the beverage is cold.
Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · DOI 10.1152/japplphysiol.00748.2025
Hot water immersion: a (not so) new therapy for the primary and secondary prevention of hypertension?
Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · DOI 10.1152/japplphysiol.00846.2025
Hydrogen sulfide and the physiology of "totonou": a hypothesis on sauna-induced vascular recovery.
Nitric oxide : biology and chemistry · DOI 10.1016/j.niox.2025.11.004
Hierarchical spindle-structured carbon nanotube fiber as efficient enzyme-enriched reservoir for robust Biosensing textiles.
Biosensors & bioelectronics · DOI 10.1016/j.bios.2025.118142
Efficacy and Safety of Some Nonpharmacological Interventions for Pain Relief During Childbirth: A Network and Meta-Analysis.
Journal of integrative and complementary medicine · DOI 10.1177/27683605251371104
Effects of Thermal Blanket on Patients' Vital Signs, Shivering Level, Chill Status, and Thermal Comfort Perception in the Preoperative and Postoperative Periods.
Therapeutic hypothermia and temperature management · DOI 10.1177/21537658251371364
Research radar