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Getting All Wet with Water Therapy To Relieve Back Pain
Among the various options in correcting back pain is the use of water. There are two prevailing types of water treatment; hydrotherapy and water exercise therapy. If using the latter it is no different than any other type of physiotherapy and therefore must be conducted by a certified therapist. Hydrotherapy can either be done with a therapist or you can do it yourself in your home, pool or gym. Either way water therapy is well known for relieving back pain, strengthening sore backs and increasing flexibility.
Hydrotherapy is not new. It has been around for hundreds of years. You should consider the use of whirlpools, saunas, pools or even a warm bath as different methods of hydrotherapy. The direct advantage of this form of treatment is a lessening of muscle stiffness and improvement of flexibility. Both of which would contribute to a decrease of back pain and therefore a reduction in pain ache medications. The only downside to this type of therapy is for patients who are overly sensitive to heat. But, even if you aren’t you must still watch that you do not use the treatments for an excessively long period of time. The heat can be dangerous.
There are a variety of hydrotherapy treatments that you can try. Sit in your bathtub and use the hose to run warm water over the area that aches. Do not splash at yourself, just let the water flow gently over the painful area for ten to fifteen minutes. Or simply have a nice warm bath. Be certain that the temperature in your bath does not exceed one hundred and four degrees Fahrenheit. Relax in the tub for fifteen to thirty minutes. To get more benefit from your bath you can add soothing Epsom salts. You can also incorporate aromatherapy into this treatment by using some of the pain relieving essential oils such as lavender, clary sage or birch.
An interesting method of back pain relief is to try a heat wrap. You can have your therapist do this or try to do it yourself at home. Take a towel and wet it with hot water. Be certain to wring it out so it doesn’t drip. Then wrap it around the area of your back that hurts. Then use a dry towel to wrap around it and then after that wrap yourself up in a blanket. After you have wrapped yourself snuggly lie down for three quarters of an hour to an hour.
Saunas or steam baths can also go a long way to relieving backache. These methods of treatment are good as they stimulate blood flow and that helps to lessen certain types of back pain. Be especially careful not to overheat using these methods. Twelve to fifteen minutes of use is all that is recommended. Wiping your face with a cold facecloth will help prevent overheating.
Water exercise therapy was designed for back pain sufferers who were in so much pain that regular exercises were not possible. The buoyancy of the water allows the patient to transfer useful land exercises they were unable to do to the easier arena of water where they can do them. The lack of gravity, and increased buoyancy, support the patient instead of holding them down, helps healing, builds strength and flexibility. An exercise as simple as walking through water is a great place to start. If the water treatments are successful, then the patient should be able to eventually transfer the exercise program from the water to a normal surface.
Any water exercise program must be developed for the individual. It needs to be tailored to relieve the weight that gravity puts on the spine and to make certain that there is no further injury because of the exercise program. In any kind of water therapy care must be taken to ensure that the water temperature is not too hot. One must remember that both methods are used for the relief of muscle pain, primarily for the back, and not for other conditions. If administered properly the warmth of the water and its gentle flow will relieve back pain by reducing inflammation caused by swelling while the exercises will build strength and flexibility.
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