The Surprising Health Benefits of Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy is any type of treatment that uses water to help with symptoms and conditions. It has been used for centuries in ancient cultures — and for good reason. The benefits of hydrotherapy go beyond what you might expect. 

Many people are familiar with the way that pools and water can help alleviate joint and muscle pain. But newer research has tapped into the way it can help with anything from acne to depression. 

Here, we’ll explain what experts know about the health benefits of hydrotherapy. 

What is hydrotherapy?

Hydrotherapy is any type of treatment that involves water or pools. Most commonly, hydrotherapy refers to doing exercises in a warm-water pool, which is usually heated to about 90°F to 100°F. But the temperature and water source can vary, depending on the specific therapy and condition being treated. 

Some common types of hydrotherapy are:

• Aquatic physical therapy

• Sitz baths (shallow baths with warm water that covers your genital and rectal areas)

• Wet saunas (uses moist heat or steam rather than dry heat)

• Warm-water baths and whirlpool spas

• Immersion therapy (soaking part of your body in warm water, like a foot bath)

• Water circuit therapy or contrasting hydrotherapy (therapy that alternates between hot and cool water)

What are the benefits of hydrotherapy?

Some of the well-studied benefits of hydrotherapy include:

• Relief of joint pain: Water buoyancy reduces gravity and helps support your weight. In addition to pain relief, water exercises can increase movement and range of motion. 

• Muscle relaxation: Warm water helps your muscles relax by increasing blood flow and it also decreases pain. This is particularly helpful when doing rehab on injured muscles.

• Stress relief: Warm water can be a natural way to treat anxiety. Even the CDC reports reduced stress and anxiety from water-based activities. 

• Strength training: Water creates natural resistance that can work as a form of strength training, for both injured and healthy muscles.

Researchers have not explored all of the potential benefits of hydrotherapy. But people have also reported a range of benefits from hydrotherapy. For example, it can improve the following:

• Skin quality in acne and other skin conditions

• Arthritis symptoms

• Circulation

• Athletic recovery after workouts, including decreased soreness

• Overall quality of life

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And it can decrease things like:

• Depressive symptoms

• Disability in older adults

• Inflammation

• Muscle spasms

• Pregnancy and labor pain

What conditions can hydrotherapy treat?

Studies have looked at the use of hydrotherapy in specific situations and conditions. These include:

• Labor: Warm-water immersion can relieve pain during childbirth. It also may decrease the amount of pain medications someone needs during labor.

• Rheumatoid arthritis: Hydrotherapy can improve joint pain and increase range of motion. 

• Fibromyalgia: The CDC recommends swimming for fibromyalgia. The benefits include decreased anxiety and improved mood, which play important roles in coping with the condition. It can have long-term effects in improving pain.

• Ankylosing spondylitis: Hydrotherapy can reduce flares and alleviate pain. 

• Cancer pain: Studies show that many types of cancer pain — like breast cancer — improve with the use of hydrotherapy.

• Low-back pain: Hydrotherapy can be part of rehab for low-back pain and the treatment of spinal pain.

• Hemorrhoids: Sitting in a sitz bath for 10 minutes a day, twice a day, has been reported to improve symptoms associated with hemorrhoids. 

• Menstrual cramps: Research shows aquatic exercise reduces painful menstruation.

• Multiple sclerosis: Hydrotherapy may help several musculoskeletal and nervous system disorders.

Water-based exercise may also be particularly helpful for older adults. It decreases disability and improves quality of life. It can also improve or help maintain bone health after menopause. 

What are the risks of hydrotherapy?

Hydrotherapy is generally safe. But it does have some risks and reasons to avoid it all together, including:

• Overheating: This is the most common side effect of hydrotherapy. Monitor the amount of time you spend in warm water. If you feel dizzy, overheated, or like you may pass out, stop your hydrotherapy session and call for help. 

• Increased blood pressure: Heat can sometimes affect your blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure or any other heart condition, ask your healthcare provider if hydrotherapy is safe for you.

• Infections: It’s very important that hydrotherapy water is clean and safe. The CDC has extensive guidelines for how to keep pools and tanks clean. But even when a facility follows these guidelines, infection is still a risk. Avoid going in the water with open wounds.

• Seizures: People with a history of epilepsy and seizures should avoid hydrotherapy. For some, it can increase the risk of seizures. And a seizure is particularly dangerous if it happens in water.

As a general rule, check with your provider if you have any condition that increases your risk of infection, breathing problems, or heart problems. Examples of these conditions include diabetes, heart failure, immunocompromise, and healing wounds. Hydrotherapy still may be a great treatment option for you, but it is best to double check. 

Can you do too much hydrotherapy?

There is no hard rule (or research) to know what is too much hydrotherapy. The right frequency and duration of hydrotherapy sessions depends on the person, their condition, and the type of hydrotherapy.

Some of the research on hydrotherapy sessions show benefits after even just 10 minutes. Others looked at longer sessions — up to an hour. Most studies on hydrotherapy include about 2 to 3 sessions a week.

While there are no firm guidelines, the following tips may help:

• Listen to your body. Since many types of hydrotherapy help with pain and injury, don’t push yourself beyond what feels comfortable. 

• Start off slow. Since water can relieve pain and fatigue during exercise, it might be easy to overdo it at first. If you are using hydrotherapy for pain or injury, it is best to get guidance from a provider or a rehab specialist for your specific condition

• Give yourself time to recover. Especially when you are first starting out, give yourself at least 1 to 2 days between sessions. This way, you can get a better sense of how the treatment is affecting you and allow your body to recover.

• Limit your time in warmer water. When it comes to saunas or warm-water baths, most people are advised not to go beyond 20 or 30 minutes. And if you start to feel overheated, it’s best to end the session.

How much does hydrotherapy cost?

Depending on where you live and the type of hydrotherapy, sessions can run from $50 to $125 per session. But there are some ways to get the benefits of hydrotherapy at home for minimal to low cost.

Hydrotherapy at home

There are many ways to get some of the benefits from hydrotherapy at home. These include:

• Simply taking the time to enjoy a warm bath

• Taking a contrast shower (alternating between cold and hot water by going back and forth between the two temperatures for several cycles)

• Sitting against the water jets in a jacuzzi

• Soaking your feet in a tub of warm water

If you’re treating a specific condition, or you think you may need particular equipment for hydrotherapy, it’s best to do this with the help of a specialist. 

Does insurance cover hydrotherapy?

It depends. For some conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis, hydrotherapy is considered physical therapy. So, many insurances cover the cost. 

The gray area occurs when you use hydrotherapy for an “off-label” indication. For example, if you book a hydrotherapy session for personal reasons — like muscle soreness or general stress reduction — your insurance probably won’t cover it. 

If you’re interested in hydrotherapy, talk to your provider. They can help you figure out if your condition is a potential indication for hydrotherapy. This can change insurance coverage for your sessions.

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Written by:

Nicole Andonian, MD

Nicole Andonian, MD, is a private practice anesthesiologist in Orange County, California. Her focus is in general anesthesia, regional anesthesia, and acute pain management.

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

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