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Healing baths
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Therapeutic baths are local, vortex, contrast, oxygen and turpentine.
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Local therapeutic baths
Chamber and sedentary hydrotherapeutic procedures. Chamber baths are available for two-chambered legs or hands and four-chambered for all limbs. With sedentary baths, the pelvis, stomach and upper thighs are immersed in water. Parts of the body that are outside the bath are wrapped in a sheet or blanket.
Local therapeutic baths come in different temperatures and durations, which determines the strength of their effects. The duration of warm baths is 10-20 minutes, cold - 3-6 minutes. The course is prescribed 12-18 procedures, daily or every other day. Slow rise in water temperature and a small surface of the impact, the lack of rapid and pronounced vascular reactions ensure a good tolerance of such a procedure. Local baths favorably affect cardiac activity, cerebral circulation. They are prescribed for contra-indications for general baths (procedures are performed every other day or twice a week, for a course of 12-14 baths).
Whirlpool baths
Baths with turbulent movement of water. There are general and local (for limbs) whirlpool baths. Soft massage of tissues with water reduces pain, improves trophism and neuromuscular conduction. The usual duration of the procedure is 10-20 min at a temperature of 24-42 ° C. The course is prescribed 12-18 baths, daily or every other day.
Contrasting medical baths
Variable effects of water with contrasting temperature. To conduct contrast baths, two adjacent pools of small sizes are used, in which the patient can be in a vertical position and move freely. Contrast baths increase psycho-emotional tone, tolerance to carbohydrates, metabolic effect of hormones, improve lipid metabolism, vegetative homeostasis, reduce tissue hypoxia. As adaptation to temperature stimuli normalizes the processes of oxidation and thermogenesis (as a result of an increase in the content in the blood of free forms of thyroid hormones and glucocorticoids). Therapeutic baths have immunocorrecting properties. The course of contrast baths normalizes blood pressure and water-electrolyte balance, increases the contractile function of the myocardium. Systematic alternation of muscle relaxation and tension during contrast baths provides physiological training of mobility of the main nervous processes (due to feedback between the muscles and the central nervous system). The advantage of contrast baths as a training factor is considered to be an active mode of holding.
Oxygen baths
To enhance the irritating effect on the skin, water in the bath is saturated with oxygen bubbles. The mechanical action of oxygen bubbles promotes excitation of the nerve receptors of the skin, reflex dilatation of the skin capillaries and acceleration of blood flow.
Oxygen baths strengthen the inhibition processes in the central nervous system, reduce the tone of arterial vessels and blood pressure, moderately increase cardiac output, increase the oxygen content in arterial blood, improve oxidative processes. According to some reports, oxygen baths increase the activity of the anti-shaking system, reduce spasticity of muscles in the affected limbs, reduce trophic disorders.
Turpentine medical baths
The addition of turpentine to water - a powerful chemical stimulus - causes reflex changes in physiological systems. Turpentine baths improve microcirculation and selectively enhance the aerobic unit of metabolism. The corrective effect of the course of baths on hormonal and immune homeostasis, an increase in the metabolic effect of hormones in target tissues, a decrease in tissue hypoxia was proved. Therapeutic baths normalize the tone of the vegetative nervous system, improve the trophism of peripheral tissues and conductivity along nerve fibers.