What Is Balneotherapy, and Does It Work for Muscle Pain?

This spa-like treatment can give significant comfort for aching muscles and joints.

Hot springs are more than simply a relaxing spa experience. Balneotherapy, a growing trend in muscular pain treatment, reveals that soaking in hot mineralized water can give significant relief, whether you have a chronic problem or simply pushed too hard in your previous workout. Marcus Coplin, N.D., the medical director of The Springs Resort in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and the Balneology Association of North America’s director of hydrothermal medicine, describes how this therapy works.

What is balneotherapy, exactly?

 

Balneotherapy is the medicinal use of mineral water. Balneotherapy encompasses everything from bathing in water to sitting in a steam chamber and even ingesting it.

What minerals are present in the water?

 

Minerals often found in thermal mineral water include magnesium, sulfur, salt, calcium, chloride, boron, silica, lithium, iodine, and iron. A water must have a minimum concentration of 1g/L of total dissolved minerals and a minimum temperature of 68°F to be called balneological.

What effect does it have on muscular pain?

 

Water has a thermal mechanism that boosts metabolic activity, improves circulation, controls hormone signaling, and lowers inflammation, all of which can contribute to a faster recovery. There’s also the buoyancy impact—the pressure of the water on your skin activates nerves, and the anti-gravity effect relaxes your brain and muscles.

Minerals can supplement this with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, improved hormone and immune system balance, and pain relief. When you soak in water, you are experiencing the chemical impact of minerals on the body, as opposed to the minerals being absorbed through eating. This improves the thermal and buoyant properties of the water on its own.

Is there proof that it works?

 

We don’t have enough data to declare that this is the greatest treatment for muscular pain, but we do know that it clearly reduces pain, is safe, and has long-lasting effects. In fact, one research indicated that people with fibromyalgia experienced considerable pain relief that lasted for 6 months following therapy.

So, what exactly occurs during a session?

 

A full-body immersion in water is the conventional therapy. Various temperatures are recommended for different conditions; for example, colder water is normally recommended for neurological problems, whereas hot or warm water is frequently recommended for muscle discomfort. Individuals soak for between 20 and 45 minutes every session. A typical short-term therapy for common pain problems, such as fibromyalgia, is 20 minutes, 5 times per week, for 3 weeks. Balneotherapy is frequently combined with some sort of manual therapy, such as massage therapy, lymphatic drainage, or electrical stimulation.

How soon do you expect to feel better?

 

You should feel better immediately away, but the more you do it, the longer the advantages will remain since there is an accumulative impact. Yet, persistent pain disorders would need longer durations of care than aching muscles after an exercise.

Is there any danger in balneotherapy?

 

Individuals with diabetes may have impaired peripheral feeling, so the water may be excessively hot and they may not notice it, although this is quite unusual. Other from that, it’s not like taking a prescription or supplement and having to worry about interactions or allergies.

How can I locate a balneotherapy provider?

 

Hot springs may be found all throughout North America and the world. You may identify venues that provide this personalized therapy at balneology.org or hotspringsofamerica.com, which has a map of all the hot springs around you.

What if I live far from a hot spring?

 

Fill your tub with water at a temperature that is comfortable for you. Soak for 15 to 20 minutes after adding 5 cups of epsom salt.

If you don’t have a bathtub, fill a large bucket halfway with hot or warm water, add 1 to 2 cups of epsom salts, and soak your feet up to your shins. It won’t have the same impact as a bathtub, but it will provide some relief.