Generally speaking, hydrotherapy is the use of water to treat disease.i The water can be in any form- liquid, vapor, or ice. Temperature often plays a role in hydrotherapy, as does water pressure.ii The roots of hydrotherapy practice (also known as hydropathy) reach far back into history. The ancient civilizations of Rome, Greece, China and Japan all used hydrotherapy.iii The ancient Celts dedicated a natural spring to their goddess Sulis, and when the Romans conquered Britain in 43 A.D. they built a hydrotherapy bath over the spring and named it Aquae Sulis.iv The site is now known as Bath, and was made famous by the author Jane Austen, who sent several of her characters there for water treatments.v
Hydrotherapy can be performed in many different modalities. In this chapter, modalities such as packing, hot air and steam baths, general baths and local baths, dry hydrotherapy, aquatic bodywork, and traction.
Hydrotherapy shares some of the same goals as massage therapy. Both practices assist in stress relief, pain relief, recovery from injury, relaxation and improved feelings of general well-being. Hydrotherapy can mesh well with your existing massage therapy practice.
Not all clients are appropriate candidates for hydrotherapy. Provide the client with an intake survey before the session, or even when the client makes the appointment, to ensure that they have no contraindications for the therapy you offer. This chapter covers those cautions and contraindications that may appear when attempting hydrotherapy.
References
i “Hydrotherapy.” http://www.holisticonline.com/hydrotherapy.htm, January 1, 2004
ii Cathy Wong, “Hydrotherapy.” http://altmedicine.about.com/od/therapiesfrometol/a/hydrotherapy.htm, February 1, 2005
iii Richard Metcalfe, “Sanitas Sanitatum et Omnia Sanitas.” http://www.archive.org/stream/sanitassanitatu00metcgoog#page/n6/mode/2up, 1887
iv Max Marquardt, Dave Ryder, Sean Williams, Ian Macfarland, Brian Snodgrass, “Aquea Sulis” http://faculty.vassar.edu/jolott/old_courses/crosscurrents2001/aquae_sulis/index.html
v Tamara Colloff-Bennett, “Jane Austen in the City of Bath, England,” http://quillcards.com/blog/index.php/articles/jane-austen-in-the-city-of-bath-england/, February 1, 2009
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