Hydrotherapy is an age-old form of healing and stress relief. It is based on three simple principles: heat, buoyancy and water movement (or hydro-massage).
Heat dilates the blood vessels and increases circulation in the body. This enables enzymes and endorphins (the body's natural pain relievers) to work more rapidly and efficiently on areas of the body such as muscles and joints which have been strained, injured or stressed. Heat also enables the cells to more easily rid themselves of metabolic waste, which is replaced by oxygen and the body’s natural nutrients.
Buoyancy Tthe body weighs 90% less when suspended in water. Specific gravity is reduced, and pressure on the spine, muscle groups, ligaments and joints is significantly eased. The benefit of this lessening of undue force upon the body is dramatically increased when combined with heat and massage.
Hydro-massage the delivery of moving water to various parts of the body, is the final and critical ingredient to this process. When the body receives a hydro-massage, all body systems benefit. Stress, injury and poor posture can all cause muscle spasm and pain. Specifically directed jets of water stimulate and relax trigger points, which are highly sensitive "nodules" in the spasming muscle. Additionally, massage has been shown to improve flexibility, increase circulation and provide generally restorative benefits.
Hydrotherapy is more than an unparalleled method of relieving stress and stress-related conditions such as high blood pressure, headaches and chronic pain. It benefits every system of the body, including the skeletal, respiratory, neuromuscular and circulatory systems.
Hydrotherapy has been proven to be especially effective in reducing the pain of arthritis, tendonitis/bursitis and inflammation resulting from sports injuries and overexertion.
The moist heat is extremely beneficial to persons suffering from respiratory ailments such as congestion, chronic bronchitis and asthma.
Increased circulation derived from hydro-massage improves digestive processes; waste and metabolic by-products are more easily eliminated, and lymph is moved more efficiently through the body, strengthening the immune system.
