Hot Tubs for Arthritis Pain Relief
A hot tub not only relaxes the muscles with sheer temperature alone, but the jets placed around the edges of the hot tub can belp to relaxe and sooth taut muscles. Placing a jet against the back, arms, legs, hips and neck and work out the kinks and tension caused by arthritis.
Hot water has been proven not only to relax and provide pain relief for arthritis sufferers, but it will also improve flexibility, balance and range of motion when all other options have failed. In addition to arthritis patients, therapists and doctors have also begun to prescribe hot tub therapy for those who suffer from chronic back pain.
Before beginning any type of therapy, consult with your doctor concerning your options. What will hot tub therapy help with your case? And what type of results can you expect. There are many different types of arthritis, and only a doctor or therapist can conclusively tell you what types of therapy will work for you.
Simply soaking in a hot tub is not always enough. Many doctors will prescribe certain exercises that can be performed in a hot tub to relax muscles and ease tension. This is similar to the hydrotherapy that patients involved in physical therapy perform. Motion in the hot water and near jets can help where regular exercises produce no results.
In addition, your doctor will tell you how many sessions in the hot tub to do on a daily or weekly basis. He or she can tell you how hot the hot tub should be when you are in it, and how long you should stay in the water. A typical regimen might include twenty minutes in the hot tub five times per week. Longer or shorter sessions might be appropriate for your particular situation.
The morning, right after waking up, is often the most effectual time for hot tub sessions. When you sleep, the muscles and joints in your body become stiff from lack of motion, and this might be the time at which you experience the most pain. A hot tub session in the morning is also an invigorating way to get prepared for the day.
Some arthritis sufferers also benefit from hydromassage, which involves massaging of the muscles and joints in the hot tub, performed by a friend or family member. The doctor or therapist can show your massager the methods that will help you experience the most relief from arthritis pain.
Arithritis can be a dibilitating disorder, and arthritis sufferers can often find relief in hot tub sessions with any number of low-impact exercises and movements. Consult with your doctor or therapist for additional ways that you can find relief from arthritis pain in the hot tub.
