Hot Tubs

By Sylvia Rosen

For the uninitiated, hydrotherapy might look like just a simple, relaxing dip in a hot tub. While "hot tubing" might be relaxing, there is more to it. In fact, there are medicinal advantages to using a hot tub as part of a pain or stress management regime.

Pain management

Chronic pain is more prominent than most people realize. It is estimated that 100 million individuals in the United States (U.S.) suffer from chronic pain associated with everything from headaches to back and joint pain. Hydrotherapy is often used as a treatment for short-term and chronic illness. When heat and water pressure are applied to the body, multiple systems in the human body react positively. The nervous system, immune system, digestive system, and circulation system all begin to engage at a more efficient level.

Hydrotherapy treatments can be very effective in the reduction of pain or discomfort associated with arthritis, diabetes, nerve problems, and a host of other ills. An added bonus is the release of endorphins throughout the hydrotherapy treatment process. Endorphins are naturally produced in the brain and provide a euphoric sense of wellbeing. Thus, the hot tub user will often feel the positive effect of use long after they exit the tub.

Hydrotherapy massage for stress

The Jacuzzi brothers invented the hot tub as a hydrotherapy treatment for arthritis in the 1950s, but it was soon realized their invention had other positive side effects as well. Stress relief was just such a side effect. Again, going back to endorphins, into the brain provides a sense of serendipity within a relatively short period of time.

Full immersion into a spa or hot tub versus traditional, "dry" hydrotherapy has several advantages. Dry hydrotherapy involves the use of a chair or bed with a barrier between the user and several water jets. As the jets shoot into the barrier, resting against the user, a massaging effect takes place. Dry hydrotherapy lacks the buoyancy effect from water immersion, does not provide a full-body massage, and may lack the heat intensity provided by regular hydrotherapy. The end result is not as relaxing, nor as stress relieving as a soak in a hot tub.

Communal effects in hydrotherapy

Unlike other forms of hydrotherapy, a spa or hot tub can be shared with multiple users at one. This makes hydrotherapy something an entire group can benefit from at the same time. People might have different tolerances or intensity needs, so adjustable jets are an advantage not to be overlooked. The ThermoSpa Healing Spa Hot Tub accommodates four adults and one child, and includes two deep therapy seats with a patented Throttle Control Valve to direct the water pressure. Hot Spring Spa and Sundance Spas also offer hydrotherapy features in their hot tubs.