Hydrotherapy

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Refreshing, relaxing, healing - hydrotherapy uses the beneficial effects of water in a targeted manner. Water therapy has many uses for the treatment of acute and chronic diseases. These include, for example, hot and cold baths, with and without additives, cold showers and alternating baths. Read everything you need to know about the methods and areas of application of hydrotherapy here.

What is hydrotherapy?

Hydrotherapy - also called water therapy - is one of the methods of physical therapy. The doctor Siegmund Hahn (1664-1742) founded it. Sebastian Kneipp later developed it further and integrated it into his holistic Kneipp medicine.

By definition, hydrotherapy uses water in all of its natural states, i.e. liquid (hot or cold), vaporous and solid (ice). The therapy method has proven itself above all for pain relief in rheumatism and for the treatment of burns. In addition, hydrotherapy can, for example, stimulate the circulation, relax the muscles, lower blood pressure, influence the pulse rate and strengthen the immune system. Water therapy can also help with a fever (in the form of a cooling bath).

Hydrotherapy is used as part of physiotherapy by doctors, alternative practitioners and physiotherapists. Hydrotherapy treatments are often an integral part of medical regimens.

Hydrotherapy: pourings

What are casts?

As part of the hydrotherapy, a shower with warm or cold water can be performed. It is important that the water hits the body without pressure. To do this, therapists use a special watering hose from which the water flows practically without pressure. Pouring is a popular hydrotherapy procedure in Kneipp medicine and should not take longer than two minutes.

When do you use casts?

In hydrotherapy, affusions are mostly used to stimulate blood circulation, relax the muscles and strengthen the immune system.

How are casts used?

Mostly casts are used as a partial treatment. Important molds are, for example:

• Cold cast on the knee and thighs: has a blood pressure regulating, decongestive effect, arterial expansion, stimulates blood flow (especially in the throat muscles), strengthens veins, soothes and promotes sleep.
• Cold arm cast: increases blood pressure and promotes the ability to concentrate, also has a refreshing, invigorating and blood circulation-promoting effect.
• Chest shower: Cold chest puffs strengthen the body's defenses. Inflammatory respiratory diseases can be treated with warm chest puffs.
• Cold facial shower: for tension headaches and migraines in the initial phase as well as for facial skin with poor circulation. Promotes blood circulation, tightens the skin, refreshes and soothes.
• Warm spine cast: relaxes and relaxes the back muscles.
• Hot lumbar cast: increases blood circulation in the pelvic area and prepares the lumbar spine for subsequent movement exercises.

Special forms are alternating pouring with alternating warm and cold water as well as lightning pouring, in which the water is directed for a few minutes with pressure on the body parts to be treated.

When are castings not suitable?

• Cold cast on knees and thighs: unsuitable for arterial circulatory disorders of the legs, during menstruation, for painful sciatic nerves, urinary tract infections and open wounds. The thigh casting is also not recommended for existing or threatened functional disorders of organs in the small pelvis.

• Cold arm cast: not recommended for chronic rheumatism, local nerve irritation, circulatory disorders in the arms, heart problems, purulent respiratory diseases and febrile infections.
• Chest shower: contraindicated for heart disease, febrile respiratory diseases, asthma and high blood pressure.
• Cold facial shower: not to be used for eye diseases such as glaucoma, sinus infections, trigeminal neuralgia (disease of the central facial nerve).
• Warm spine cast: contraindicated in acute local inflammation.
• Hot lumbar cast: not to be used in acute local inflammations, tumors.

Hydrotherapy: ascending and descending baths

What are ascending and descending baths?

Bath therapy (balneotherapy) is another important branch of hydrotherapy. Full or partial baths are used. This can be done with increasing and decreasing temperature.

With a rising (partial) bath, start with a low water temperature and gradually add hot water. In the case of a descending (partial) bath, it is exactly the opposite, at the beginning you bathe hot, and then you add more and more cold water.

When do you use ascending and descending baths?

In hydrotherapy, increasing baths are considered to stimulate blood flow and promote circulation. Descending baths can be used for functional circulatory disorders and as vascular training for venous diseases.

How are ascending and descending baths used?

Many physiotherapy practices have ascending and descending baths in their treatment program. But they can also be done at home. Important application forms are, for example:

• Rising arm bath: starting temperature approx. 32 degrees. Add hot water within 15 minutes until a maximum of 40 to 42 degrees is reached. Recommended for angina pectoris, high blood pressure, headaches, incipient migraine attacks, non-inflammatory rheumatism and inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract.
• Increasing footbath: It is best to bathe your feet in water at around 33 degrees before going to bed. Gradually increase the water temperature to a maximum of 40 degrees over 20 minutes. Then dry your feet well and rest in bed for at least 20 minutes. A soaring foot bath can help with symptoms in the ear, nose and throat area (sore throat, chronic nasal inflammation, etc.).
• Descending footbath: starting temperature equal to the current body temperature. Add cold water continuously (for 10-15 minutes) until the water temperature is approx. 10 to 15 degrees below body temperature. Then dry your feet well, put on socks and rest for at least 30 minutes. Used to treat high fever (over 39 degrees).

When are ascending and descending baths not suitable?

Speak against increasing arm baths:

• unstable angina pectoris
• high blood pressure
• acute inflammation
• nervous disorders
• Vein problems in the arms

Ascending foot baths should not be used in the case of:

• Varicose veins
• Phlebitis and survived venous thrombosis
• severe arterial circulation disorders
• organic heart disease

Hydrotherapy: alternating baths

What are alternating baths?

In an alternating bath, you alternate between bathing in hot and cold water. A distinction is made between arm, foot and seat change baths.

When do you use alternating baths?

Alternating baths can train the cardiovascular system and strengthen the immune system. They are used, for example, to prevent infections (especially colds).

The alternating arm bath increases the blood flow to the head and can thus alleviate headaches. An alternating foot bath expands the blood vessels and thereby promotes blood circulation and metabolism. The alternating seat bath also stimulates the circulation, promotes blood flow to the abdomen and can alleviate bladder weakness.

How are contrast baths used?

All forms start with a longer (5 minutes) bath in 36 to 38 degrees warm water. This is followed by a shorter bath (approx. 10 to 15 seconds) in around 15 degrees cold water. The whole thing should be repeated three times. The conclusion should always be a bath in cold water.

When are alternate baths not suitable?

Alternating baths should not be used in the following cases:

• high blood pressure
• fever
• open wounds
• Cancers

Hydrotherapy: medicinal baths with additive

What are medicinal baths with additive?

With this method of hydrotherapy, the patient bathes in warm water to which certain active ingredients have been added. There is a wide range of additives - for example, flower extracts, herbs, bath peat (for mud baths) or sulfur are used.

When do you use medicinal baths with additives?

A medicinal bath can alleviate various ailments, depending on the active ingredient added. Examples of health baths include:

• Moor lye bath: for rheumatic complaints
• Sulfur bath: for joint rheumatism, rheumatic diseases of muscles and nerves, metabolic diseases, skin diseases and poorly healing wounds
• Thyme bath: for colds and coughs
• Valerian bath: for calming, relaxing and promoting sleep
• Rosemary bath: among other things stimulates blood circulation
• Hay flower bath: for nerve pain (neuralgia such as sciatic pain = sciatica) and rheumatic complaints
• Chamomile bath: for inflammatory skin diseases, poorly healing or infected wounds, abscesses, boils, anal fissures, hemorrhoids and pressure ulcers (pressure sores)
• Lavender bath: for nervousness, sleep disorders and inflammation of the skin

How are medicinal baths with additives used?

Medical baths are prepared individually in the physiotherapy practice. The bathing time is about 20 minutes, the water temperature varies between 33 and 39 degrees.

When are medicinal baths with additives not suitable?

In general, full baths (with or without additives) are not recommended in the following cases:

• febrile and infectious diseases
• severe heart failure (heart failure)
• severe insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle (coronary insufficiency; e.g. in coronary heart disease)
• severe high blood pressure

In addition, specific contraindications apply to the individual additives. Your physiotherapist will give you comprehensive advice.

Hydrotherapy: balneophototherapy

What is balneophototherapy?

This application of hydrotherapy combines the effects of water and light. The patient bathes in warm water enriched with salt and is additionally irradiated with UV light. In principle, a medicinal bath in the salty Dead Sea is simulated with its healing effect on the diseased skin.

When is balneophototherapy used?

Balneophototherapy (also called light bath therapy) is recommended for psoriasis and neurodermatitis.

How is balneophototherapy used?

A distinction is made between synchronous and asynchronous balneophototherapy.

• With synchronous balneophototherapy, the patient bathes in warm water with a 10 percent Dead Sea salt solution and is simultaneously irradiated with UVB light.
• Asynchronous balneophototherapy means that the patient first bathes warmly for about 20 minutes and then receives radiation. The bath is usually a foil bath. The patient is wrapped in a film that has previously been filled with a 25 percent saline solution.

There is also the so-called bath PUVA: The patient first bathes in a light-sensitizing solution and then is irradiated with UVA light.

When is balneophototherapy not suitable?

Balneophototherapy should not be performed if:

• Cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure
• severe infectious diseases
• open wounds

The procedures of hydrotherapy are mostly used in conjunction with other medical therapies and remedial treatments. You can intensify their effect and thus support the healing process.

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