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Health

Hydrotherapy

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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All types of hydrotherapy are divided into hydrotherapy and balneotherapy.

trusted-source[1], [2], [3]

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy is a group of methods of external use in the treatment and prevention and rehabilitation purposes of the effect on the human body of fresh water in pure form or with the addition of various substances. The main types of hydrotherapy used in the clinic of internal diseases are souls and baths.

Souls are a method of local or general exposure to a naked body of a patient with water in the form of a jet or several jets of various shapes, directions, temperatures and pressures.

Types of showers: needle, dust, fan, perineum or ascending, circular, Charcot's shower (one compact jet), Scottish (two compact jets of different temperatures), underwater shower massage.

According to the water temperature, the souls are divided into:

  • Cold (below 20 ° C);
  • cool (20-24 ° С);
  • indifferent (35-37 ° C);
  • warm (38-39 ° C);
  • Hot (40 ° C and above).

According to pressure (the head of water) distinguish:

  • low (0.3 atm);
  • average (1.5-2 atm);
  • high (3-4 atm).

Features of the action are associated with the influence of thermal and mechanical factors on the skin and mucous membranes of the patient's body.

The main clinical effects: tonic, sedative, vasoactive, spasmolytic, trophic.

Baths are a method of influencing the human body when the entire body of a patient or part of it is immersed in water of a certain chemical composition and temperature.

They are divided into common, lumbar or semi-local and local baths.

According to the water temperature used, the baths are distinguished:

  • Cold (below 20 ° C);
  • cool (20-33 ° C);
  • indifferent (34-37 ° C);
  • warm (38-39 ° C);
  • Hot (40 ° C and above).

The composition of the baths are fresh, aromatic, medicinal, mineral and gas.

Features of the action of the baths are due to the combined effect of thermal, mechanical and chemical factors on the patient's body.

The main clinical effects: vasoactive, metabolic, trophic, tonic, sedative, spasmolytic, analgesic.

Balneotherapy

Balneotherapy (from Latin balneum - bath and therapy) - a set of methods for the prevention of diseases and pathological conditions, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with pathology of internal organs with the help of natural (natural) or artificially prepared mineral waters.

The basis of balneotherapy is the external application of mineral waters: general and local baths, spinal traction in the water, swimming and swimming in the pool, etc.

An integral part of balneotherapy is the procedures for the internal use of mineral water (drinking, washing the stomach, duodenal drainage, enema, inhalation, etc.).

Features of the action and the main clinical effects associated with the method of application and with the chemical composition of mineral waters.

trusted-source[4], [5], [6], [7], [8]

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