The Physical Health Benefits of Hot Tub Hydrotherapy

People use hydrotherapy to help reduce pain, get physically fit, and more

Key takeaways:

• Hydrotherapy can help you recover faster from injuries or surgeries.
• Cold and warm water offer different hydrotherapy benefits.
• Hydrotherapy can be as simple as using a cold compress or as involved as having a group exercise session in a pool.
• Exercising while submerged in water helps build strength and confidence.
• Hydrotherapy can help people suffering from neurological conditions move more.

Water is essential for our lives! We must drink it to stay hydrated and healthy. We use it to clean our bodies and recover from illnesses. And, you can use water in ways that you might have never considered. 

Take hydrotherapy. It helps us recover from injuries and surgeries faster, become more physically fit, and even makes exercise fun.

In this article, we’ll give you insight into hydrotherapy, its uses, and why it works.  If you own a hot tub, this will help you discover yet another valuable benefit it offers, and if you don’t, you’ll gain a greater appreciation for this amazing investment. 

What is hydrotherapy?

Hydrotherapy is simply a method of using water to affect the body, and it helps reduce physical discomfort. It’s commonly used to ease arthritis or rheumatic issues. 

Hydrotherapy is different than swimming in a few ways. Unlike swimming, hydrotherapy calls for specific techniques to be performed in water. It’s usually done in water that’s between 91-97 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hotter than a typical swimming pool.

How do I get started with hydrotherapy?

In most situations, getting started with hydrotherapy means a physiotherapist will teach you specific exercises designed to help with your ailment. Depending on your symptoms, your teacher may show you ways to modify the exercises to fit your current range of motion and physical condition.

Unlike physically demanding exercises, hydrotherapy emphasizes specific, controlled motion. Relaxation is a key aspect of the activities.

The different types of hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy comes in different types. It can be as simple as icing a sprained ankle or as involved as aquatic group exercise sessions in a pool. Below are common examples of hydrotherapy.

• Aquatic exercise: Performing hydrotherapy exercises, swimming laps in a pool or spa, and doing group water exercises are all examples of low-impact ways to work out without the extra pounding on your joints and muscles.
• Aquatic therapy: Aquatic therapy is customized for patients. It’s a low-stress way to help your body recover from surgery or injury without extra strain.
• Immersion therapy: Some athletes claim being submerged in cold water helps them to relax. They say it puts them in a better state of mind to perform athletically.
• Saunas: A sauna is a wooden room where water is poured over hot stones. This and other techniques create steam that users claim reduces stress and can help with sleep.
• Simple baths: Even a pleasant warm water bath has therapeutic benefits. A good soak in warm water can lower your blood pressure and increase your blood flow.
• Sitz baths: If you suffer from hemorrhoids or are recovering from an episiotomy procedure, soak in warm water for 15-20 minutes. Users claim it will reduce pain.

How can hydrotherapy help me?

Using hydrotherapy alongside physical therapy has many benefits. When you soak in warm water, your muscles begin to relax. As the tension dissipates, you may feel less pain in your joints. Without the same level of pain, you may find exercising easier. Motion through water provides your body with resistance, allowing you to increase your strength.

Additionally, when you are fully or partially submerged in water, you don’t have to support your full weight on your own. This relieves pressure from your bones, joints, and muscles. You may discover your range of motion increases, improving your capacity to exercise and increasing your level of fitness.

Should I use cold or warm water during hydrotherapy?

The water temperature you use in hydrotherapy depends on your condition. If you suffered a sprain, doctors recommend cold water. Your arteries will constrict because of the cold. With reduced blood flow, you will experience less pain. 

Warm water helps chronic pain heal. The warm temperature causes your muscles to relax. This will help you heal faster.

Coldwater hydrotherapy can help you lower your body temperature and boost your immune system. The lower temperature can help reduce inflammation and reduce soreness in your muscles. Warm water hydrotherapy also reduces pain. Warmer water temperatures relax your muscles and increase blood flow. It helps flush toxins and can ease constipation.

Hydrotherapy is helpful for a variety of conditions. Some of these include:

• Chronic pain: Hydrotherapy can decrease chronic pain by reducing the impact on your joints, bones, and muscles. When people are in pain, they are reluctant to move. Increasing your physical activity while reducing your pain translates to improved health and fitness. Water exercises help our muscles lengthen and build strength.

• Neurological conditions: People suffering from neurological conditions may not be able to do certain physical movements on land. Have you or a loved one recently suffered a brain injury? While submerged, hydrotherapy reduces muscle spasms and increases strength despite neurological symptoms.

• Post-surgery recovery: Because your weight is partially supported while submerged in water, hydrotherapy can help quicken recovery time after major surgeries. By doing controlled movements in water, the likelihood of aggravating an injury or increasing recovery time because of over-exertion is drastically reduced.

Hydrotherapy helps build confidence

Because they can move more, people who use hydrotherapy often feel more confident. The water buoyancy helps remove the fears many have after major surgery. By gently easing people back into physical activity, it allows them to embrace moving normally without the natural fear they may have of getting hurt again.

When you don’t hold back, you can make significantly more progress during your recovery. As you get used to moving, normal day-to-day activities don’t feel as intimidating. As your confidence grows, so will your comfort in resuming your previous life.

Bring the benefits of hydrotherapy to you

Nobody likes dealing with pain but having a relaxing, beneficial way to ease physical discomfort while getting over an injury, recovering from surgery, or dealing with daily aches and pains is a lifesaver. Having your own hot tub gets you in hot water in a good way, giving you the benefits of hydrotherapy right in your backyard.

If you want to reap the benefits of hot tub hydrotherapy but don’t know where to start, contact us today. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you have and get you started in the journey to total wellness.