The water is something that we are naturally drawn to for one reason or another. Because of this, we’ve been able to discover that there are a lot of ways that we can utilize water in order to help relieve and reduce pain and other symptoms related to fibromyalgia and other disorders.

That being said, how can hydrotherapy play a role in helping people with mild to severe fibromyalgia symptoms?

And what does a hydrotherapy routine look like for the standard patient who is struggling with pain?

What Does a Hydrotherapy Plan Look Like?

So, we know that water has healing properties. That’s why we’re supposed to drink eight glasses a day and why dehydration can be so dangerous when you’re looking at your overall health.

But where does hydrotherapy come into play with all of this? Does water really make that much of a difference in our lives, and if so, how do we harness that power so that we feel healthy and that we can fend off injuries and other issues that may come up in our lives.

Hydrotherapy is fairly simple on the surface. It’s the use of water to encourage healing and other health-based benefits.

But, there is another side to the whole thing, and when we look deeper at it, we can see how significant of a difference that it can make in the lives of people who get to utilize it as part of their therapy program.

Basically, it depends on the therapist that you are working with, and what your injuries and/or conditions are. You could be using water in pretty much any state that it is in.

In some cases, you may end up using steam in order to help loosen up your muscles and to help you feel more flexible.

In other cases, you may have to utilize ice, which can play a significant role in helping to decrease swelling and other issues that end up happening in your joints, tissues, and muscles.

Sometimes, you will swim around in a pool or sit in a whirlpool and allow the warm water to do its work, which can also be a huge deal if you are dealing with anxiety and/or stress as a part of your symptoms.

Overall, hydrotherapy is anything, with any state of water, which gives you relief and allows you to be flexible and taken care of.

It takes care of your mental health, it takes care of your physical health, and it takes care of pretty much any aspect of health that you have an issue with.

As time goes on and technology advances, the definition of hydrotherapy expands and more and more people will get the help they need, simply because they are able to interact with water in a way that helps to relieve pain, stress, and other issues. It’s really fascinating what therapists can do with the power of water.

Does Hydrotherapy Make a Difference in Fibromyalgia Sufferers?

The answer to this question is an undisputed yes. Over the years, many fibromyalgia sufferers have started to utilize a variety of different techniques in order to try and deal with their pain.

But, one of the simplest has to do with the power of water. How does hydrotherapy help those who are fighting off fibromyalgia symptoms? Here are some of the main ways in which this happens.

First off, it helps to reduce the amount of muscle pain that you’re dealing with.

More often than not, the most debilitating part of fibromyalgia has to deal with how much pain you are in, specifically in your muscles.

Hydrotherapy can help to loosen the muscles up, which means that you will be in a lot less pain.

Your range of motion and your ability to move around is greatly improved as a result of hydrotherapy.

This is for the same reason as above. As your muscles and tissues and joints are relaxed and the tension is taken off of them, you will find that it’s easier for you to move around, bend over, and do everything you need to do in order to take care of yourself.

If you deal with stiffness in your joints or you have difficulty moving when you get up in the morning, hydrotherapy can help to make a huge difference in your day. Mornings are hard enough as is, if you deal with fibromyalgia, it ends up being that much worse.

Hydrotherapy, as mentioned above, loosens you up and allows you to move more, preventing that painful stiffness.

If you are struggling with your mental health, hydrotherapy can help you to relax and be able to cope with stress, anxiety, and other related disorders in a healthy manner.

Sitting in a bathtub can help you to relax, and sitting in the whirlpool or in a steam bath at the physical therapist’s office is going to give you that same exact result, which can help you to feel great.

Last, but not least, if you have trouble sleeping or you’re fighting off fatigue, you can get some help from doing hydrotherapy on a regular basis. As we just mentioned, it helps you to relax a lot, so if your body is able to relax (and you’re in a lot less pain than you were), you will be able to sleep through the night and you’ll have an easier time falling asleep as well.

Fibromyalgia can be really frustrating, and because it can be difficult to move around, you may notice that you are getting into a lot of bad habits that can make your fibromyalgia worse.

By doing alternative forms of therapy like hydrotherapy, you may be able to find the relief that you’ve needed from your fibromyalgia symptoms.

It should be, as with everything else, part of a larger health and wellness treatment plan that is supervised by specialists who are working together and with you. Determine if hydrotherapy may be a good option for you and your symptoms.

References:

http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/fibromyalgia_hydro.html

http://www.mccc.edu/~behrensb/documents/HydrotherapyforFibromyalgiaCSchultz.pdf

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/832206