Hydrotherapy: Hot tubs and fibromyalgia

9 Minute Read

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common, long-term condition that causes widespread pain throughout the body. If you or someone you care about suffers from FM, you know the symptoms can be challenging to manage. While there are many options when it comes to fibromyalgia treatments, this article will specifically address fibromyalgia and hot tub therapy, explaining how hot water can serve as a form of fibromyalgia self-care.

If you have wondered, “How could a Jacuzzi® Hot Tub uniquely help relieve symptoms of fibromyalgia?”, this article is for you. As you read on, you will learn some crucial information about fibromyalgia and how hydrotherapy may be a soothing way to manage symptoms. You will also learn what makes Jacuzzi® Hot Tubs stand out as a premium choice when it comes to hydrotherapy.

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by widespread pain. The Mayo Clinic further describes the condition in an article on its website, “The pain happens along with fatigue. It also can involve issues with sleep, memory and mood. Researchers think that fibromyalgia affects the way the brain and spinal cord process painful and nonpainful signals. That increases your overall sensitivity to pain.”

FM can produce symptoms such as:

Widespread nerve pain
Fatigue/poor sleeping issues
Tension headaches
Depression
Joint stiffness

While the Mayo Clinic states that there is no cure for fibromyalgia, the article on the organization’s website states: “But medicines and other treatments can help control the symptoms. Exercise, talk therapy and techniques that lower stress also may help.”

How many people are affected by fibromyalgia?

According to the National Fibromyalgia Association, this condition is “one of the most common chronic pain conditions... [which] affects an estimated 10 million people in the U.S and an estimated 3-6% of the world population.”

An article on the organization’s website goes on to state that fibromyalgia (FM) is most prevalent in women. In fact, 75-90% of the people who experience FM are women. However, it also affects men and children of all ethnic groups.

The NFA explains: “The disorder is often seen in families, among siblings, or mothers and their children. The diagnosis is usually made between the ages of 20 to 50 years, but the incidence rises with age so that by age 80, approximately 8% of adults meet the American College of Rheumatology classification of fibromyalgia.”

Hot tub therapy for fibromyalgia symptoms

Hydrotherapy can be a powerful component of a holistic approach to managing fibromyalgia. People with fibromyalgia often experience widespread pain, fatigue, muscle stiffness, and disrupted sleep. The buoyancy of water reduces the impact on joints and muscles, allowing gentle movement and stretching without adding stress to the body. Warm water helps increase blood circulation, relax tight muscles, and temporarily ease pain. At the same time, the soothing environment promotes mental relaxation and stress reduction—both key to managing fibromyalgia symptoms.

If you have been seeking fibromyalgia treatments, you may be interested to learn what hot water therapy can do for FM. If you’ve wondered how fibromyalgia and hot tubs are connected and what hot water therapy does for fibromyalgia, some sources say that hot water therapy has been shown to ease muscle tenderness, relax muscles, improve sleep, and help relieve stress. The latter is significant as stress has been shown to be an aggravating factor for FM patients. As noted above, the Mayo Clinic mentions that “techniques that lower stress” can be effective in helping you live well with FM. One such technique is hydrotherapy.

In addition to helping people reduce stress, hot water therapy has also been proven to help people manage pain. According to an article on the Cleveland Clinic website, “Hydrotherapy can help people with these symptoms feel better: pain, stiffness, bruising, swelling, muscle pain, and menstrual pain.” The organization also specifically lists fibromyalgia among the conditions that hydrotherapy is well-suited for managing. It states: “People with several conditions can benefit from using water in different forms and at different temperatures to feel better.” The article then states that “Hydrotherapy can provide symptomatic relief” to people who have a variety of conditions, including fibromyalgia.

Furthermore, an article titled, “Fibromyalgia Syndrome and Spa Therapy: Myth or Reality?” published on the National Library of Medicine website seeks to answer this question through “the currently available information on clinical effects and mechanism of action of spa therapy in FS.” The authors of the research found that randomized clinical trials on spa therapy for FS “suggest a positive effect on pain, other FS-related symptoms, and QoL [quality of life].”

In the post, the authors state: “The studies assessed the medium-to-long-term effect and found that the clinical efficacy of spa therapy lasted for 4-6 months. Despite low tolerance of physical treatments by FS patients, spa therapy seems to be well tolerated and have a lower percentage of side effects, which also are less severe, than those associated with pharmacological treatments.”

In conclusion of their research, the authors found that “spa therapy seems to be effective and useful in FS, reducing pain, improving function, and ameliorating QoL. The improvement reported in some clinical studies lasts over time. Actually, spa therapy can represent a useful backup to pharmacologic treatment of FS or a valid alternative for patients who do not tolerate pharmacologic treatments.”

How a Jacuzzi® Hot Tub can help you live well with FM

If you have wondered, “How could a Jacuzzi® Hot Tub uniquely help relieve symptoms of fibromyalgia?”, it’s essential to recognize that the Jacuzzi® brand is a pioneer in the wellness space. Ken Jacuzzi’s father developed the world’s first at-home pump to provide pain-relieving hydromassage for his son, who was only two when he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. While they are two distinct conditions, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia are similar in that they both cause pain and fatigue.

The brand has since elevated hydrotherapy to new heights. Over the past nearly 70 years, it has built a legacy and a reputation for manufacturing high-quality, luxury hot tubs that provide unparalleled hydrotherapy. The Jacuzzi® brand has introduced cutting-edge, one-of-a-kind innovations that take relaxation to a whole new level.

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One of the ways in which Jacuzzi® Hot Tubs are uniquely designed for maximum comfort is the proprietary specialized Jacuzzi® PowerPro® jets that are recessed for your complete comfort and precisely positioned to effectively target key muscles, allowing you to enjoy unparalleled relaxation where you need it most. These jets also provide a unique high-volume, low-pressure massage, delivering a deeper, more intense experience. In addition to the jets, the seats of every Jacuzzi® Hot Tub are sculpted with an ergonomic focus to cradle the contours of your body. So you can quite literally melt into your hydrotherapy session and let your cares wash away.

Simply relaxing in a hot tub can help alleviate the stress of a tough day, allowing you to recuperate while temporarily easing discomfort. As you relax in a Jacuzzi® Hot Tub, you can allow your mind to rest and let the stressors of your day simply melt away. For many, hydrotherapy also provides vital time to unwind and focus on your mind-body connection. This, in itself, can be a helpful way to manage discomfort and stress.

If you’re considering a Jacuzzi® Hot Tub to help you relax, unwind, and destress, while also managing pain symptoms, you might want to explore some of the luxury models that offer exclusive Infrared and Red Light therapy.

Models in the J-LX® Collection and the J-400™ Collection feature the one-of-a-kind FX-IR seat, which combines Infrared and Red Light therapy with your hydromassage for an unmatched experience. In these models, the therapeutic benefits of hydrotherapy combined with the rejuvenating power of Infrared and the regenerative qualities of Red Light all work together deep beneath the skin’s surface to temporarily relieve pain, help improve range of motion, and help you reach a state of bliss. Red light specifically reaches surface tissue and cells, and near Infrared is positioned within the seat to target deep tissue within the lumbar region of the lower back, so you experience can a hydrotherapy session unlike any other.

Is hot tub therapy right for me?

If you experience symptoms from FM and have wondered if hydrotherapy might be useful as a complement to your treatment plan, it’s important to check with your doctor. Your trusted general practitioner can help answer your questions and will have specific information regarding your health history that can help them guide you to a pain management plan, which hopefully can include hydrotherapy.

Regular hydrotherapy sessions, whether in a professional setting or at home in a hot tub, may improve flexibility, reduce pain flare-ups, and support better sleep quality. You may find that hydrotherapy boosts your mood and helps you break the cycle of pain and anxiety that often accompanies chronic conditions.

While hydrotherapy is not a cure for fibromyalgia, it complements other treatments like medication, gentle exercise, and cognitive behavioral therapy. By integrating hydrotherapy into a broader wellness plan, people with fibromyalgia can take proactive steps to enhance their physical comfort, improve mobility, and support emotional well-being, ultimately empowering them to live more fully despite their condition.

Medical disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and not intended as medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider if you have health-related questions.

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