Hydromassage is a massage performed by water flow. This is a procedure of the targeted therapeutic impact of pressured water on the human body. The most important thing in this procedure is supplying the air flow to the water and using multiple bubbles formed for the recovery. Hydromassage facilities are installed in swimming pools and bathtubs. There are also separate showers, shower panels and shower hydromassage cabins.
Water and air mixed together form microbubbles. These bubbles run through special holes in a pool spa or bath, called nozzles. The supply of water and air jets can be adjusted by the intensity and the shape of the flow can be altered by modifying the nozzles.
Hydromassage is a popular component of efficient treatment programs for metabolic disorders, diseases of the musculoskeletal system and internal organs, and pathologies of the peripheral nervous system.
Those in ancient Rome and ancient Egypt had already discovered the healing properties of water treatment. Bathing was considered a sign of prosperity. Hippocrates’ research suggests that the ancient Greek physician attached great importance to hydrotherapy in healing serious diseases.
Scottish writer Tobias George Smollett was the first who raised beach relaxation to the rank of a kind of recreation. Smollett thoroughly studied the influence of water on the human body, and concluded that pressured water has the maximum effect. His research included a prototype of the modern hydromassage.
A Catholic priest from Germany named Sebastian Kneipp shared his own hydrotherapy secrets in a book called My Water Cure. A doctor from pre-revolutionary Russia, Alexander Nikitin, carefully researched and described the influence of water baths of differing temperatures on the body.
The first hydromassage baths were created by the Jacuzzi company in 1968. Candido Jacuzzi invented the first model of such a reservoir to alleviate the distress of his son who suffered from arthritis. The original equipment looked fairly primitive: a special pump was simply immersed in a bath, and when air was supplied through the pump, air bubbles formed. These baths have proven to be an effective means of treating and preventing diseases of the musculoskeletal system. They were sold in specialty stores and pharmacies.
After more than ten years, "Jacuzzi" introduced to the market a completely autonomous construction with closed water circulation. Today the company is a leader in the spa industry. Consequently, for most people nowadays, the word "Jacuzzi" means hydromassage bath.
Jet massage is the most common and simplest type of massage. Its operation is simple—a jet of water is fed under pressure. The variations of the vortex and vibration massage are more complicated. Vibration baths are especially important to strengthen the muscles of all the body areas (hands, legs, back, and abdomen).
The therapeutic benefit
When a person is immersed in a hydromassage pool, his or her body is in conditions close to zero-gravity. Comfortable water temperature also facilitates maximum muscle relaxation. The combination of relaxation and massage helps to achieve a significant therapeutic effect, which is especially important if you have a pronounced pain syndrome. Vibrating massage jets deeply and painlessly affect relaxed muscles in the water, producing a mechanical, thermal, and, when using sea and mineral water, a chemical influence.
Hydromassage is recommended for the following functional disorders and diseases:
Damage to human immunity;
Injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
Sleep disorders;
Stress, depression, asthenia syndrome;
Venous insufficiency, including varicose veins;
Poor circulation;
Chronic fatigue syndrome;
Gastrointestinal diseases;
Disorders of the peripheral nervous system;
Dystonia;
Metabolic disorders (obesity, cellulitis);
Sexual disorders
