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Hydrotherapy is a form of medical treatment involving the use of water for soothing pains and treating diseases.

Use of hydrotherapy has been recorded in ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations. Egyption royal family members used to take bath with essential oils and flowers. Romans had public community baths for general citizens. It was believed and accepted that hot water springs could improve health through increasing circulation. Hippocrates prescribed bathing in spring water for sickness.

The use of water for treating rheumatic diseases has a long history. To-day hydrotherapy is used to treat arthritis, burns, spasticity, ankylosing spondilitis, musculo-skeletal disorders, spinal cord injuries and stroke patients with paralysis. Ankylosing spondilitis is a form of spinal arthritis that eventually causes ankylosis i.e., abnormal stiffening and immobility of the vertebral and sacro-iliac joints. Hydrotherapy is also used to improve fitness.

Immersion in water and doing exercises in water has always been a popular therapy, but the alleged benefits had little supporting evidence from science until approximately 30 years ago a survey of research in Annals of the Rheumatic Disease discusses the vast amount of high quality research studies showing the effectiveness of hydrotherapy. Reserch also focussed on the cost-effectivencess of hydrotherapy against other forms of treatments.

Heat and cold through hydrotherapy are applied in the forms of (a) packings (hot and cold, general and local, sweating and cooling) (b) hot air and steam baths, (c) general baths, of hot water and cold, (d) sitz bath (when only butlocks and hips are immersed in water) (e) footbath, (f) bandages or compresses, (g) fomentations or poultices etc.

Packings:

The full pack consists of a wet sheet enveloping the body, with dry blankets packed tightly over it. In hour or less these are removed and general bath administered. The pack is sedative, and stimulator of cutaneous excretion. For modification, the cooling pack sheet is rewetted as it dries; there are also local packs to trunk, limbs or head separately according to circumstances.

Hot air baths or sauna baths:

Originally it is the Turkish bath or the Roman bath. It consists of two or more chambers ranging in temperature from 120°F to 212°F or higher, but mainly used at 150° for curative purpose. Exposure is for 20 minutes extending up to two hours according to the effect sought, and is followed by a general bath (may be with soap and shampoo).

It is stimulating, and it powerfully promotes tissue change by increase of the natural waste and repair. It is an effective nervous and vascular stimulant and tonic.

General Baths:

General baths compise the rain, spray, shower, plunge, sponge bath etc. of hot and cold water.

Local Baths:

Local baths comprise the sits bath, footbath, head bath etc. Rapid alterations of hot and cold water have a Powerful effect in vascular stasis (stoppage of flow of body fluid or a state of inactivity), and lethargy of nervous system – yielding valuable results in local congestions and chronic inflammations.

Compresses:

Bandages or compresses are of two kinds – (i) for cooling the wet material is left exposed for evaporation.Used in local inflammations and fevers; (ii) for heating the hot material is covered with waterproof material. Used in congestion, for short or long periods. Poultices, warm, of bread, bran etc. are used with occasional change. Poultice is superior to warm compress in providing greater warmth.

Fomentations and Poultices, hot or cold, are also used in specific cases.