Alternative Treatments, Health

Epsom Salt Baths And Hydrotherapy For Chronic Pain Conditions

People with chronic pain syndromes must use a holistic approach to dealing with their pain. Medications alone often do not adequately address the pain and the underlying issues of stress, emotional disturbances, and cognitive disturbances so closely linked to the perception of pain in chronic pain sufferers.

There are several holistic techniques that holistic doctors use to treat people with chronic pain. Lifestyle factors are addressed, exercise is promoted, acupuncture is performed, and there are recommendations for everything from massage therapy to hydrotherapy for the management of pain.

People who suffer from chronic pain syndrome often need much more than drugs for pain to enhance the quality of their lives.

The Use Of Epsom Salt Baths In Chronic Pain Situations

Warm water with Epsom salts has been known to decrease stress and increase the ability to do activities of daily living when used as a simple bath technique. When the individual is experiencing pain, they can draw a warm bath and put Epsom salts in it to soothe the skin and improve the experience of the bath. 

This takes very little effort on the part of the chronic pain sufferer so it can be used by anyone with access to a bathtub and Epsom salts. You simply pour a moderate amount of Epsom salts into the bath water and allow it to mix into the water. Then you simply slip in the tub and allow the warm water to reduce tension in the muscles, relieve joint pain, and increase relaxation, which is a common problem in chronic pain sufferers.

Chronic pain conditions are often made worse by exposure to cold and stressful conditions. An Epsom salt bath can address both issues. You should allow the smooth, warm, and silky water to sink in through the skin in order to reach muscles that have become inflamed or have gone into spasm. It’s like using a heating pad only your whole body benefits from the bathtub experience. 

Epsom salt baths can be used on a daily basis to ease the stress of the day and decrease the level of muscle soreness and stiffness common to those who have chronic pain syndromes. The water should be very warm but not so hot that your skin turns beet red.

The water should feel slippery because of the Epsom salts and the warmth should soak into the muscles to ease the achy feelings. It can also increase the flexibility of arthritic joints and reduce the perception of pain in many types of chronic pain syndromes.

Nighttime is a good time to do an Epsom salts bath because then you can slip into your pajamas for a more restful night’s sleep.

Other Forms Of Hydrotherapy

Water therapy in just about any form can reduce the muscle achiness and can reduce the stress associated with chronic pain symptoms. There are many forms of water therapy you can try. These include the following:

  • Swimming in a warm pool. Just doing laps in the water can be a great form of exercise for those suffering from chronic pain. There is almost no stress on the joints and the exercise releases endogenous endorphins that help you feel better overall. It is best to exercise in a warm pool rather than a cold pool as the cold water can cause the joints and muscles to stiffen up. Warm pools can be hard to come by but some health clubs offer warm water pools as well as cold water pools.
  • Sauna therapy. Saunas are excellent ways to reduce stress and allow moisture to penetrate the skin and muscles. Make sure you put a lot of water on the heater in the sauna so that you have a nice steamy room to relax in. this will reduce your perception of pain and is a very relaxing thing to do after swimming.
  • Hot tub Therapy. Allowing yourself to relax in a hot tub is one way to get the blood flow to the muscles flowing so that the muscles can relax and heal faster from injury. Use the jets from the hot tub on specific sore areas so that there can be mechanical improvement of the pain along with the warmth of the water in the hot tub.

Hydrotherapy in its many forms can be used to decrease stress and improve pain in those suffering from chronic pain conditions. Try some form of hydrotherapy every day in order to allow this form of therapy to relax you as much as possible. 

*This information is not intended to treat or diagnose, it is only for educational purposes.