The Thermal Effects of Water Immersion on Health Outcomes: An Integrative Review

Abstract

Hydrotherapy is widely used for the treatment and rehabilitation of patients, but it can also be applied to prevent diseases in healthy people. This review investigates the health effects of water immersion, a form of hydrotherapy, and the mechanisms by which the properties of water elicit such an effect. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL to identify relevant articles, of which 13 met the inclusion criteria. Various factors of water immersion were investigated in the 13 selected articles, including water temperature, immersion height, and application area. With respect to health effects, warm and cold water immersion affects the cardiovascular and neuromuscular systems, respectively. Nine articles focused on the effects of warm water immersion, explaining its thermal effect in relation to changes in disease-related serum substance levels and hemodynamic changes. While the sample population in most studies comprised young adults, two articles applied partial water immersion to the legs of elderly subjects to assess its effect on sleep. Because the water immersion protocols applied in the 13 articles were inconsistent, the health benefits could not be clearly explained. However, we expect the present findings to be beneficial for providing research guidelines for studies on the application of water immersion.

Changes in Muscle Contractile Properties after Cold- or Warm-Water Immersion Using Tensiomyography: A Cross-Over Randomised Trial

“…The differences found between both experiments could be explained by the temperature used (4 • C vs. 10 • C) but also by the duration of the immersion (short intermittent immersions versus a continuous 20-min immersion). We decided to choose 10 • C and 42 • C respectively for 20-min based on the available literature which suggested temperatures ranging between 10-15 • C for CWI and >36 • C for WWI with applications lasting at least 10 min to yield results [4,6,8,31]. However, a systematic review published shortly afterward concluded that 11-15 min of CWI is considered to provide the best results; therefore, future research should take this timeframe as optimal [31].…”

“…The search for the optimal physical condition and the monitoring of physiological parameters in athletes have always been topics of study for researchers, trainers and coaches [1,2]. Water immersion has been used in both sports and rehabilitation for several decades and its effects on several physiological parameters, including inflammatory and metabolic markers, blood flow and nerve transmission are well-documented in the literature [3][4][5][6][7][8]. The effects of water immersion appear as thermal, mechanical and chemical effects, either alone or as mixed effects [9].…”

Retrospective observational study to evaluate the concept of the warm versus regular room temperature seitz bath in perineal wound healing

“…There is no conclusive evidence 2 to support that a particular type of hydrotherapy accelerates wound healing, healing of stretched skeletal muscle and reduces pain at operative There is no definitive protocol or guidelines reported with evidence about the type of hydrotherapy with required temperature, its duration and frequency of body part immersion. 3,4 There are no publication suggesting the usage of any specific antiseptic solution speeds up the process of wound healing. There is no documentary evidence stating the practice of any particular type of seitz bath accelerates the wound healing and its effectiveness in the pain relief.…”

Head-Out Water-Based Protocols to Assess Cardiorespiratory Fitness—Systematic Review

“…Evidence from water-based studies indicates regular deep or shallow water exercise can exert beneficial effects on cardiorespiratory fitness, strength, and body fat distribution [ 10 ]. Cardiovascular function improvement can be explained by the elevation in cardiac output due to the blood flow shift to the main blood vessels while immersed [ 19 ]. The hydrodynamic properties of water offer safety, facilitating training and testing for individuals with compromised musculoskeletal, neurologic, and cardiorespiratory conditions [ 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”