A wonderful complement to massage therapy is hydrotherapy, which is the use of hot and cold water and related applications to relax or heal. Applying heat or cold to the body improves blood flow. This improved circulation increases the flow of nutrients to tissues and organs and helps better move metabolic waste products out of the body.
Precautions for Using Heat and Cold Therapy
If you are pregnant, or have a heart condition, diabetes, or high blood pressure, consult your doctor before using hydrotherapy, especially heat. Use caution if you have sensitive skin.
Do not use ice or any very cold applications if you have Raynaud’s disease, peripheral vascular disease, peripheral neuropathy, or hypersensitivity to cold, or your skin has a reduced ability to feel. If you have diabetes, use ice cautiously with the OK of your doctor.
Also, everyone needs to take care with heat applications to avoid burning. Remain aware of the heat and how it feels on your skin.
Tips for Cold Hydrotherapy
Use cold to reduce pain and swelling and to tone the body.
Brief applying cold water to your face, hands, or head can improve your mental activity and alertness. It can also help tone the skin of the face.
Use ice briefly on local areas of inflammation, swelling, or sprains. Most people can use for 10 to 20 minutes on the injury followed by 15 to 20 minutes off, but your situation may vary. Cold therapy works best if you use it frequently within the first 24 hours of an injury. Always use a cloth between your skin and ice.
Important: If a joint or limb seems deformed or you can’t bear weight or otherwise use it normally after 24 hours, contact your healthcare provider.
Moist heat hydrotherapy can be as simple as a hot shower or bath. The heat can help relieve general soreness and stiffness, arthritis pain, muscle cramps, and menstrual cramps.
Saunas or steam baths have been used for centuries to promote health by sweating. After a bath or sauna, take a quick cool shower to push the blood back to the internal organs. The cold also leaves you feeling relaxed, and balanced, rather than lethargic.
Upper Body Congestion
For upper body congestion, such as from a sore throat or headache, a hot foot bath can bring relief, because the heat draws blood away from the head and upper body.
Another option for upper body tension or congestion is to soak a towel in hot water mixed with a few drops of essential oils for relaxation (such as lavender) or relieving congestion (such as eucalyptus). Have someone place the wrung-out towel over your upper back, and then cover it with a dry towel or fleece (holds in heat better). Or use a commercial heat pack according to directions.
Alternating Hot and Cold
You can also alternate heat with cold to increase circulation even more, potentially providing more healing and pain relief. Alternating applying heat and cold creates a vascular flush, where the heat expands the blood vessels and the cold contracts them.
Note: This technique is generally not advised for someone with a heart condition.
Options include alternating hot and cold water in the shower, taking a cold plunge or shower after a sauna, or applying a series of hot and cold towels to an area of your body.
As a general guideline, the ratio for use of alternating hot and cold hydrotherapy is three to one. For example, use three minutes of heat and one minute of cold. End with the cold application because it feels refreshing and pain relieving.
