TheraTherm Digital Moist Heating Pad Review

I have suffered from neck and shoulder pain for a while now and I was using a microwaveable neck warmer nearly everyday, it provided warm and soothing relief.  The microwaveable warmer was my friend I turned to when my shoulders were tight and aching, enough to drive me nutty.  It always dutifully did it’s job with one notable problem.  The heat never lasted long enough!  I would have to run over to the microwave under my roommate’s glare (utility bill Nazi) and warm it up again and again until I either grew tired of running to the microwave or I felt better, usually the former.

On a particularly painful day I finally had enough and thought there has to be a better way to do this!  I started looking online for an electric shoulder/neck warmers and finally settled on the TheraTherm Digital Moist Heating Pad.  It was actually more than I was originally willing to spend (although it did qualify for free shipping)  for the shoulder/neck cutout model but after reading over 125 awesome comments about it I took the plunge….and I couldn’t be more satisfied with my purchase!

Here is some detailed information on a product that truly lives up to its hype.

Product Features

 

  • Moist Heat
  • Temperature Range
  • Cord Length
  • Weight
  • LCD Display
  • Comparison
  • Timer/Auto Shut-Off
  • Cleaning
  • Warranty
  • Recommended For
  • Purchase
  • Product Specifications

Moist Heat

 

As opposed to dry heat, Theratherm draws moisture from the air and retains it in a 100% cotton specially designed cover (see cleaning section).  The moisture is then rapidly heated by high grade ceramics to provide deeply penetrating heat to sooth your muscles.  Moist heat is preferable to dry heat because dry heat will wick moisture away from your body while moist heat will help the heat penetrate deeper into your muscles.

Temperature Range

The Temperature range is between 86-166 degrees Fahrenheit.  However the pad heats up quickly (within 30 seconds), and it heats up past the set temperature initially so if your skin is especially sensitive I would recommend keeping an eye on the actual temperature screen.

Cord Length

 

The length of the cord is about 78″ or 6-1/2ft long, plenty of room to move around.  I use it at my computer desk and I can get up to reach for books on my bookshelf two arm lengths away without a problem.

Weight

 

I’d say the Pad part of the ThermaTherm is between 1-2lbs.  Heavy enough that it rests comfortably on your shoulders without moving around too much but light enough that it is not a nuisance

LCD Display

 

It is a relatively simple display but it took a few minutes for me to play with it until I got comfortable with the settings.  Here is a key to the LCD display:

LCD display key for TheraTherm Moist heating pad

A few things to keep in mind:

1. You have to HOLD the ON/OFF button for 2 seconds in order to turn the display on, same thing with turning the display off.  (I didn’t really read the directions at first and was just pressing it, which obviously didn’t work and thought I was going to have to return it)

2.  After you turn the controller on it will default to the screen that displays the default or previous set parameters:

Theratherm LCD display

From here you can press the SELECT button briefly to change either the treatment time or treatment temperature.  To lock the desire setting press and hold the SELECT button for 2 seconds a “key” icon will display on the upper right corner of the screen  .  To unlock simply press and hold the SELECT button for 2 seconds and the “key” icon will disappear.

3.  Once you set your temperature and timer, you can briefly hit the ON/OFF button again to change the LCD display to have the screen show the actual temperature which will be fluctuating and also how long the heating pad has been active on the bottom row of the screen:

4. At the end of treatment time the unit will automatically shut off.

5.  If the malfunction icon is displayed an audible tone will continue for 5 seconds and heat will automatically shut off.  You should unplug the unit and consult the distributor.

Malfunction screen

Comparison

 

This TheraTherm Unit’s closest competitor is Thermophore who also uses moist heat and is a bit cheaper.  However the Thermophore has a switch you must manually press down in order to keep the heat pumping.  TheraTherm is definitely winning the moist heat race by leaps and bounds.

Timer/Auto Shut-Off

You can set the automatic shut off timer anywhere from 1-60 minutes and if you need more simply turn the unit back on.

Cleaning

 

Controller – Use a soft cloth slightly moistened with water, then lightly wipe the surface.

Do not use any type of solvent, such as thinner, or benzene.

Flannel Cover – Machine wash or hand wash in lukewarm/cold water with a mild detergent. Rinse well. Tumble dry on low heat setting.

Warranty

The warranty lasts one year (12 months) from the date of consumer purchase.  There are reports that the unit fails a few months after the one year mark but there are also other reports that claim multiple years of use.  The way I see it if you use it nearly everyday (and the people wanting to purchase this will probably end up using it nearly every day) it equates to about $0.17 a day for the neck cutout TheraTherm so it’s definitely worth it to me, solely on the pain relief factor alone.

Recommended For:

 

People suffering from:

  • Fibromyalgia
  • arthritis
  • degenerative disc diseases
  • bursitis (chronic shoulder pain)
  • Muscle pain / Muscle soreness

Purchase

I was able to purchase this item here on Amazon and it also qualified for FREE shipping with Super Shipper Saving

Product Specifications

 

Output: Moisture heating

Cover: 60% Cotton/ 40% Polyester

Display: Numerical LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)

Button: Rubber made in double colors

Sensor: High resolution Digital thermal sensor

Control: Plus control-trig solid switched

Circuit: Digital processor

Protection: Thermal switched

Mode of operation : Continuous operation

Heating: Selection 86–166° F (+/- 2° F/ unit) temperature outputs

Timer: 1–60 minutes (1 minute/ unit) Auto shut off

Power Supply: AC 90–130V 40–70Hz

Pad Size:

Model 1030- 15” x 7” (38 cm x 18 cm)

Model 1031- 14” x 14” (36 cm x 36 cm)

Model 1032- 27” x 14” (68 cm x 36 cm)

Model 1033- 23” x 20” (58 cm x 50 cm)

TheraTherm Digital Moist Heating Pad