A Deep Dive into Hydrotherapy & Pain Management

by Deion Clifton

Welcome to your complete guide to recovery, a series where we teach you all about the different recovery methods and the related recovery items offered here at HAC. Our goal is to assist you in finding which method works best for YOU and provide you with all the necessary materials to help build the best possible version of yourself. In this issue, we’ll discuss the benefits of water therapy and how it affects the body in each form. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Water may be the most helpful recovery tool. It has many uses, including hydration, cleansing, recreation, exercise, cooking, therapy, and more. It can be applied in a myriad of ways to manage aches and pains.

Therapeutic practices that utilize water are collectively called hydrotherapy (or water therapy). They include frozen, cold, warm, and hot water, meaning whatever your preference is, you can benefit. This form of treatment helps relieve symptoms of pain and stiffness. It’s often used to manage conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s disease, neuropathy, multiple sclerosis (MS), and cerebral palsy.¹

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Please do not use hydrotherapy in place of any prescribed medications a healthcare professional provides.

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Types of Water Therapy

There are many types of hydrotherapy, all of which can help increase range of motion, reduce swelling, inflammation, soreness, and stiffness, facilitate pain relief, and improve blood flow along with other benefits. Whether you’re looking to get in a low-intensity workout, plunge away soreness, or massage sore muscles, there are various tools to help you manage.

Aquatic therapy involves doing physical activity in a pool. It’s the only active hydrotherapy form. Doing therapeutic exercises in warm water makes for a very beneficial activity. Due to water properties like buoyancy and viscosity, joint stress is removed from the equation, allowing you to complete more unrestricted, pain-free movements than on dry land.

Immersion is the act of submerging your body in water for therapeutic benefits. Athletes and gym-goers often mix immersion and temperature regulation techniques by intentionally dunking themselves or a body part in hot or cold water. The temperature you bathe in is dependent on the types of benefits you’re looking to receive. Cold water can help alleviate swelling and inflammation, while hot water helps to relieve pain and stiffness.^3,4

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Believe it or not, there are benefits to submerging your body in hot and cold water, one after the other. Healthline refers to this method as contrast bath therapy.⁵ The back-and-forth switching between high and low temperatures acts as a pump for blood vessels, helping to increase blood flow to muscles. That being said, rapid changes in body temperature can pose a serious health risk for some at-risk populations. To learn more about the benefits of hot and cold therapy, please visit our blog at www.hachealthclub.blog.

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Pressurized jets use water to provide a massage. This hydrotherapy style is often called a hydromassage and can be performed during immersion or outside the water. These massages combine heat and water to provide some of the benefits of a traditional massage without the physical contact.

One thing that pressurized jets and temperature regulation have in common is that you don’t have to be in the water to receive benefits. Gyms across the country are making space for hydromassage chairs and cryolounge beds for the convenience of their members.

Principles of Hydrotherapy

It’s important to note that different types of hydrotherapy use principles of water to produce therapeutic benefits. Specific properties of water create an environment that takes stresses off the body and allows it to complete pain-free movements it wouldn’t be able to do outside the water.

• Buoyancy is the upward thrust of fluid, allowing the ability to float. But there’s more to it than just that. It also decreases joint stress due to reduced weight bearing and allows for strengthening and flexibility.
• Hydrostatic pressure is the force of water applied to the body. This pressure increases as you dive deeper. It helps reduce swelling and fluid retention.
• Viscosity refers to the density of a liquid. Because more viscose water slows movement, those practicing hydrotherapy can challenge themselves by doing things they normally could not do on land.
• Surface tension refers to a firm surface layer. Its resistance helps to strengthen muscles and improve body awareness.⁷
• Turbulence increases strength, endurance, and improved balance through resistance created by water movement.⁷
• Therapeutic warmth loosens stiff muscles, allowing them to be stretched and strengthened.
• Refraction creates a distorted view of anything under the water. It heightens our senses and awareness, making us more conscious of the movement of our arms and legs.

Is Hydrotherapy Right for You?

The benefits are clear. Hydrotherapy relieves joint pressure, reduces stiffness, soreness, swelling, and inflammation, and increases the range of motion and blood circulation through muscles. Overall, it’s a great way of reducing pain. It can also act as a stress reliever, producing mental health benefits.

Chances are, you’ve benefited from hydrotherapy in the past. Whether you’ve put ice on a bruise or took a nice, hot bubble bath after a long day at work, you’ve felt the benefits of H2O.

Suppose you’re searching for low-impact exercise, a pain management approach, or post-exercise relief. In that case, you’re the perfect candidate for hydrotherapy. However, for people with certain conditions, it’s not ideal.

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Caution: Hydrotherapy increases the risks of slips, falls, drowning, burns, frostbite (from extreme heat/cold), and infections. Please use caution when maneuvering in and around water.

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