the benefits of hot tub hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy: the treatment of physical disability, injury, or illness by immersion of all or part of the body in water to facilitate movement, promote wound healing, relieve pain etc.
A Soak A Day Keeps the Doctor Away: Discovering the healing powers of the hot tub
From the ancient Romans’ healing baths at Aqua Sulis to the historic mineral springs of Buxton and Harrogate, the curative powers of water – especially heated water – have been known and recommended for centuries. Over the last 50 years, heated exercise pools and hot tubs have become a key element of the muscle and joint recuperative process prescribed by physiotherapists, trainers and chiropractors. Today, researchers – prompted by anecdotal evidence – have focused o the additional therapeutic benefits of hot tub therapy. Their preliminary results in areas including arthritis, diabetes, stress, weight loss and insomnia have far exceeded expectations and clearly show that spa therapy can benefit people suffering a number of ailments.
Minimises the Pain of Arthritis
More than 7 million people in the United Kingdom suffer from some form of painful arthritis. For many people with arthritis, the Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC) recommends using a hot tub to apply heat to arthritic joints. Benefits of the hot water soak include muscle relaxation, decreased pain and stiffness and greater ease when performing exercises and daily activities. Additionally, the ARC found many arthritis sufferers benefited from 10 to 15 minutes in the hot tub in the morning, when joint stiffness is the worst.
Puts You To Sleep (No More Counting Sheep)
According to the National Sleep Foundation, 30 million Britons suffer from mild to chronic insomnia and other sleep disorders. And the results of sleep deprivation include depression, mood swings, memory lapses, severe tension and a compromised level of attention during waking hours. A recent study in the scientific journal Sleep showed that soaking in the hot tub prior to bedtime will not only help someone fall asleep, but it will also provide a deeper, more relaxing sleep.
Lowers Diabetics’ High Blood Sugar Levels
According to Diabetes UK, more than 2 per cent of the British population are diabetic. An independent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine led by Dr. Philip L. Hooper at the McKee Medical Center in Loveland, Colo., found that bathing in a hot tub simulates the beneficial effects of exercise. The result – for patients with Type 2 diabetes who soaked in a hot tub for 30 minutes a day, six days a week for 3 weeks – was a reduction in blood sugar levels by an average of 13 percent.
Promotes Weight Loss
In Dr. Hooper’s study of diabetics, he found that patients not only reduced their blood sugar levels, but also lost an average of 3.5 pounds without any new diet or exercise programs. He surmised the weight loss resulted from the hot water massage simulating the effects of exercise on muscles.
Soothes and Recuperates Sore Muscles
Both professional and weekend athletes benefit from easing their aching muscles into a hot tub for a short soak. According to Tennis Magazine, the hot water causes the temperature of a person’s skin and muscles to rise. This, in turn, causes blood vessels to dilate and increases blood flow to the skin and muscles. The jets and pulsating water massage the skin and increase the blood flow even more. The result is loosened and relaxed skin and muscles from the increased blood circulation.
Lowers Your Blood Pressure
A reversal, a report from the Mayo Clinic by Dr. Thomas G. Alison states that relaxing in a spa can be good for heart-disease patients. The study showed relaxing in a spa is less stressful on the heart and more beneficial than working out on an exercise bicycle. Additionally the research demonstrated that soaking in a hot tub for 15 minutes will lower the patient’s blood pressure. Exercise raises a heart-disease patient’s blood pressure significantly.
Provides Relief From Stress
Although there are no statistics estimating the number of Britons with stress, it is probably safe to say that everyone has it at one time or another. Stress results in muscle tension, headaches, fatigue and soreness. Spa use, through a combination of buoyancy, heat and massage, relieves tension and stress. Hot tub buoyancy eases pressure on joints on muscles, hot tub heat increases blood flow to muscles and accelerates healing; and hot tub water provides therapeutic massage – stimulating endorphins- the body’s natural painkiller. In other words, a brief soak in a spa will bring the body to a more restful, healing state.
More Results To Come…
A number of research studies are being conducted around the world to prove the benefits of spa therapy on people who have undergone knee replacement surgery. Based on anecdotal evidence, the common relief is the researchers will find that those patients who have used a hot tub in conjunction with physical therapy after the knee replacement surgery will have a shorter recuperation tie. The first of these studies is expected to be published in mid-2006.