Heated Gilet for Back and Joint Pains this Winter
By Jessica Kenney DC Mchiro (Doctor of Chiropractic)
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HEATED GILETS ARE A MUST HAVE FOR JOINT PAIN IN WINTER
These heated gilets can be worn just like a regular bodywarmer — but with the press of a button, they gently warm up to keep you cosy.
The warmth helps boost blood flow to your muscles, keeping them relaxed and better supplied with nutrients. By staying warm through your core, circulation to your arms and legs also improves — which can mean less stiffness and discomfort in your back, neck, shoulders, wrists, and even knees.
These are especially useful for those who spend time outdoors in British Winters, and those dealing with symptoms that are aggravated by damp cold such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, hypermobility, Raynaud’s and more.
We recommend Ororo heated gilet as they are great quality, reliable rechargeable battery packs and good customer service.
More info on our recommendation, what to look for if you’re shopping around and more info on how they reduce pain if you scroll down.
Currently (November 2025):
Women’s: £118.99 Shop on Amazon now.
Men’s: £139.99 Shop on Amazon now
What are heated gilets?
Heated gilets are all the rage at the moment, what actually are they? They’re bodywarmers with built in, flexible heating elements, that are powered by a small, lightweight, rechargeable battery pack (similar to a portable power bank) that is connected via USB. You can wear it as a normal gilet, and then press a built in button and the element will start heating up. This means you stay nice and cosy even in harsh Winter weather, and can choose the heat setting depending on how cold you are feeling.
They’re also a cost-effective alternative to turning up the central heating — perfect for wearing indoors. As money-saving expert Martin Lewis says: “heat the person, not the room.” Plus, avoiding dry indoor air from central heating can help reduce symptoms like asthma, coughs, fatigue, and headaches.
How do they work to reduce joint and muscle pain?
When we're exposed to cold, the body responds by narrowing blood vessels near the skin and in the extremities — a process called vasoconstriction. This redirects blood flow away from the hands, feet, and surface tissues toward the core to protect vital organs and maintain internal temperature. While this is essential for survival, it can lead to cold, stiff muscles and joints, reduced dexterity, and increased discomfort in conditions like arthritis, fibromyalgia, or Raynaud’s disease. The reduced circulation also limits oxygen and nutrient delivery to muscles, making them more prone to tightness, fatigue, and injury.
Even if your extremities are exposed to the cold, maintaining core warmth can lessen the intensity of vasoconstriction throughout the body, supporting improved blood flow and comfort.
Which is the best ?
After trying a few brands, we recommend Ororo.
The two biggest wins for Ororo was their customer service and quality. I had a different brand that was wonderful for 3 months, then the element suddenly stopped heating up and it was impossible to get a response from the company and when I checked there was no warranty, so was a complete waste. Ororo has a 4.7/5 score on Trustpilot and comes with a warranty. It does make it a little pricier than some competitors but you know you’re getting quality. There’s a button built into the logo on the chest and you can cycle through the heat setting by pressing this. They will be colour coded so you know exactly what setting you are on.
The following information is for their basic gilet, however you can get different, fancier versions and other products that I will link below. Always look at the battery life, customer service, and warranty information if you choose to look around.
Ororo features:
3 versatile heat settings
Sixing XS to 3XL
Heats within seconds
Water and wind resistant
Ripstop shell
4 carbon fiber heating elements (left & right pocket, collar, middle back)
FELLEX® Insulated
Up to 10 working hours (3 hrs on high heating setting, 6 hrs on medium, 10 hrs on low)
Mini 5K Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery (4800 mAh, 7.4V)
Fully charged in 4 hours (with a 5V/3A charger)
UL, CUL, CE, FCC, and RoHS certified for safety and quality assurance
Washing: Machine washable at least 50 times, but on a cold wash and recommend using a mesh laundry bag. Do not dry clean or iron.
Other Ororo products:
There’s lots of other products, including gloves and scarves but here’s their most popular:
Heated, Reflective Dog Coat (Amazon: £79.99)
Extra long women’s heated gilet (Amazon £149.99)
Men’s heated hoodie (Amazon £145.99)
Who’s going to benefit?
Both people that are outdooers, or have pain or stiffness aggravated in Winter . If you have an outdoor hobby AND a condition that’s aggravated in the cold these gilet can be complete gamechanger.
Outdoor hobbies
Perfect for everything from early morning dog walks and pitch-side spectating, to mucking out the stables, evening motorbike rides, or a post-Christmas dinner stroll. Ideal when you just need a little warmth to get going — without the hassle of an extra coat you'll want to take off 20 minutes later.
Outdoor jobs
Mechanics, builders, roofers, electricians, warehouse workers, landscapers, animal care staff, and others working outdoors can all benefit from staying warm on the job. Keeping muscles warm helps reduce the risk of injuries like back pain flare-ups and muscle strains. These professions also see higher rates of conditions like Raynaud’s (white finger), which can be eased with the gentle heat of a heated gilet.
High blood pressure and Raynaud’s Disease
Vasoconstriction is where the body constricts blood vessels in the skin to preserve core temperature. This is a normal physiological response, but it can aggravate pre-existing circulatory issues like high blood pressure or Raynaud’s. By keeping your core temperature warmer with the gilet, this means less constriction of the blood vessels, and better management of blood pressure.
Spinal pain
Keeping warm helps reduce back pain by improving blood flow to joints, discs, muscles and tissues, which enhances oxygen and nutrient delivery while removing waste products that can affect injury healing time and frequency of flare ups. Heat also relaxes tight muscles, decreases muscle spasms, and soothes nerve endings, all of which help reduce pain and increase mobility.
Arthritis
Heat therapy benefits both osteoarthritis and inflammatory (i.e. rheumatoid arthritis) by promoting vasodilation, which increases blood flow to affected joints, enhancing oxygen and nutrient delivery while aiding in the removal of inflammatory byproducts. This helps reduce joint stiffness, relax muscles, and decrease nociceptive (pain) signaling, improving mobility and overall comfort—particularly in colder conditions where vasoconstriction can exacerbate symptoms.
Hypermobility
People with hypermobility—especially those with conditions like Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) or Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS)—often experience impaired temperature regulation. This means too cold in Winter but overheating in Summer. Maintaining a consistent external temperature helps the body to regulate better, and keep a healthy supply of blood flow through the joints and muscles, meaning less aches, pains and strains.
Tendon rehabilitation
Repairing injured tendons relies on blood flow. If you can keep a healthy supply of blood to the area, you’ll continue to promote new cell growth and removal of waste products delaying healing.
