Let’s face it. Aging sucks. We could just go with the wrinkles, the grey hairs, and the dry skin, and it would be enough to put us in a sad state of mind but sadly this is just our outter appearance!
As we age, our bodies break down on the inside too and that includes our muscular anatomy and joint system causing a lot of pain that wasn’t there in our 20’s and 30’s. Our muscle fibers become less dense, which makes them less flexible and more prone to injury and soreness especially in our hips, knee joints and hand and finger joints. The weight-bearing bones and the movable joints take much wear and tear as the body ages. The most common age-related conditions that effect the muscles and joints are arthiritis and osteoporosis. Both are typically brought on in later stages of life but with both of these conditions, many patients are finding benefit from exercise programs that may include physical therapy, rehabilitation and warm water therapy.
Various studies have been done on patients with both of these conditions and found that when they participated in warm water therapy or just sitting in a deep soaking tub with warm water, their pain decreased as much as 30-40% and also helped increase their movement and flexability and their moods. The warmth of the water opens up the blood vessels, increasing the blood flow to those areas, reducing the pain in those aching joints and relax sore and tight muscles. The heat will also decrease muscle spasms, increasing the patients range of motion.
The temperature of the therapy hot tub or soaking tub should be warm, not too hot, and should be maintained at a consistent temperature, if possible. Ask your doctor or physical therapist which would be best for you.
Have joint and muscle pain? Contact us for a free quote on a custom hot tub or soaking tub.
