Better Health by Hot Water

Dr. Steffan Schulz, a rheumatologist at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, states that the usefulness of hot water therapy is pretty well known among his patients, many of whom find great relief from their stiffness after a hot morning shower. Indeed, Dr. Schulz says, “warmth is really good at loosening up the body and relaxing tight and painful muscles, so we use it a lot on muscle strains and joints that are chronically achy.”

If you have chronic joint pain it is important to discern whether you have arthritis or arthralgia. Arthralgia is characterized by pain in the joints but does not include inflammation, which is generally found in arthritis. And if you do have arthritis, it is good to know the type and the cause. But in some instances, the source of the pain remains unclear. Dr. Schulz says that in these circumstances, rather than too quickly prescribing a pain-relieving drug, doctors may recommend hot water therapy — a more conservative approach to pain reduction. Furthermore, he says, “the fact that hot water therapy tends to reduce pain in the joint is something that patients usually find out even on their own.”

So if you’re suffering from arthritis, arthralgia, or any other type of chronic joint pain, you may try committing to a hot shower or a soak in the hot tub at the beginning of each day. Chances are high that it could really help.

I recently took a trip eastward to visit my parents. Tired and stiff from a long flight, I was very excited to hop into their most recent home improvement: a hot tub. Over the past few months I’ve grown quite familiar with the myriad advantages of hot water immersion and am happy to see my parents benefiting from its use.

My mother has arthritis and generally uses the hot tub twice a day: morning and night. Since doing this on a regular basis she’s found that her knees are a lot better and that she’s in less pain overall. If she’s been typing a lot and her wrists are sore, she goes into the hut tub and dangles them in front of the jets for a therapeutic massage. But the best part, in her opinion, is that the hot tub is a source of motivation. “When I get up I go right down to the hot tub and it’s nice and warm and relaxing,” she says. “The birds are singing and I just look at the sky and the leaves and that’s how I start my day.”

My father doesn’t use the hot tub as regularly as my mother, since he doesn’t have a chronic condition such as arthritis. But he does find it helpful for healing the occasional sore muscle and for relieving stress. “When I get into the hot tub,” he says, “I can just feel the stress evaporate from my body. And if I’ve overexerted myself in the yard, I don’t necessarily need to go for a massage,” he says. “When I get out of the hot tub I feel much better.”

I, like my mother, tended to use the hot tub at least twice a day (sometimes more) while I was home. I found it to be an excellent way to relieve my stiff muscles in the morning and a great way to unwind at night.

If you too are considering getting a hot tub for your health, be sure to consult your physician and tax specialist beforehand: if it counts as a medical expense, you may qualify for an income tax deduction according to IRS Publication 502.