What is hydrotherapy?
Hydrotherapy is the use of water in the treatment of illness, pain, or stress or to help maintain good health. It can be used on part or all of the body, by means of immersion, jets, sprays, steam, or compresses (water-soaked cloths).
What conditions can hydrotherapy treat?
Hydrotherapy is used to treat a range of conditions, particularly in conjunction with other disciplines, such as naturopathy (aiding the body’s self-healing power) and aromatherapy (treatment using natural oils). These conditions include pain, injuries, inflammation, congestion, skin ailments, fluid retention, anxiety, and insomnia.
Physiotherapists use hydrotherapy in treating muscle wasting diseases, strokes and injuries. Here, patients carry out a range of remedial exercises in a pool. The water supports the injured or paralysed limb, so making the exercises easier and more comfortable to perform.
What forms of hydrotherapy are there?
Hot bath: The therapeutic effect of a hot bath has been known in the UK. A Jacuzzi is often used in hydrotherapy because the therapeutic effect of bathing in warm water is enhanced by the massage given by the jets. since Roman times. It can ease pain and relax muscles, and is believed to detoxify the body (remove unhealthy substances) by increasing sweating.
Neutral bath: Patients lie in water which is the same temperature as their body. It is said to have a calming effect. The hydrostatic pressure (the force exerted by still water),of a neutral bath is also believed to help the body eliminate excess water, and so help in the treatment of fluid retention due, for example, to kidney or heart ailments..
Cold bath: This is used to aid circulation and reduce inflammation. Patients sit in a shallow bath for a few minutes while water is splashed over the rest of the body. A regular cold shower is believed by some to reduce the incidence of colds. You should start with a tepid shower and reduce the temperature of each shower you have over a period of weeks until the water is cold. This avoids the shock of suddenly being doused in freezing cold water. This is becoming popular with sports people to reduce post championship / game injury or muscular aches.
Sitz bath: Here, two hip baths are placed side by side, one filled with hot water and the other with cold water. Patients sit for a minute in the warm bath, with the water up to their waist, and with their feet in the cold bath. Then they reverse the procedure for 30 seconds. It is used in the treatment of circulatory conditions and promotes healing in complaints such as anal fissures (tears in the lining of the anus), haemorrhoids (swollen veins in the anus), and cystitis (inflammation of the bladder).
Salt bath: Adding salts, such as Epsom salts, to a bath aids relaxation and