Benefits of Hydrotherapy
Having completed this lesson, you will be able to:
- List two general uses or goals for hot or cold methods (e.g., increase the benefits and effects of massage, support relaxation, client enjoyment of sessions, and therapeutic benefits in addition to massage, etc.).
Hydrotherapy applications support many of the benefits and effects of massage and can improve the results clients experience from the massage session. The benefits of hydrotherapy include the pleasure and comfort clients receive through hydrotherapy applications. The effects of hydrotherapy usually depend on the temperature of the application and the delivery method (bath, pack, shower, etc.). This topic considers the benefits of hydrotherapy applications in your practice and their physiological, psychological, reflexive, and mechanical effects. Specific hydrotherapy for the treatment of different stages of inflammation during the healing process from musculoskeletal injury are discussed in Chapter 22 (Musculoskeletal Injury and Massage).
Benefits of Using Hydrotherapy in a Massage Practice
The use of hydrotherapy applications in both wellness and health care settings increases clients’ enjoyment of sessions, offers soothing comfort, ensures that clients stay warm, and provides a useful means of empowering clients to manage many conditions through self-care practices.
A recent study suggests that feelings of warmth are associated with a sense of relaxation and well-being. Researchers have found that sensations of warmth alter neural circuits controlling cognitive function and mood, influencing serotonin levels. So whether you are lying on a warm beach in the Caribbean, sitting in a sauna or hot bath, or even working up a sweat through exercise, your brain chemistry changes and your mood is enhanced.7
Many clients begin to feel cold as a session progresses. A warm hydrocollator pack on the feet or low back can warm the client and increase the client’s enjoyment of the session. A hydrotherapy tub immersion (bath) with soothing additives like essential oils or herbs after a massage boosts the benefits of the massage and prolongs the pleasure the client experienced during the session. At the same time, dead skin cells desquamated during the massage and impurities released from the skin are removed, leaving the client feeling clean and revitalized.
In both wellness and health care settings, therapists often suggest that clients use hydrotherapy applications at home for self-care. Use of hot packs on tight shoulder muscles at the end of a workday can help the client maintain the lengthening effects achieved through a massage session. Regular Epson salt baths help reduce stress, decrease muscle soreness, and improve sleep. Cold packs are applied during the early stages of inflammation to reduce swelling and heat in the tissue and speed the healing process. The simple act of taking a warm bath at night can serve as part of a stress reduction regimen. These general benefits complement the significant physiological and psychological effects of hydrotherapy applications.