Hyped on Hydrotherapy
Contrast hydrotherapy aka hot cold treatments are one of the easiest home treatments you can do post workout or if dealing with a physical musculoskeletal injury.
HOW IT WORKS: Heat application to an area causes an increased flow of blood to the location via dilating blood vessels. Applying ice has the opposite effect, it causes vessel constriction, limiting blood flow. So why is this such a good thing? By alternating hot for 3 min, cold for 1min through a series of cycles you're essentially creating better circulation to that area by improving the pumping of nutrients and repair molecules into the tissues and removal of waste out. The end result being decreased healing time, increased muscle and tissue relaxation & decreased swelling and pain (ice penetrates deep into the tissue and causes a numbing analgesic effect while decreasing tissue metabolism). The common acronym ‘PRICE’ when recovering from an injury stands for "Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress & Elevate,” but, by adding heat into the equation you then get the added benefits of contrast hydrotherapy. Whether you’re an elite level athlete or out for recreational fun and health benefits, train hard, recover fast (and smart)! Once you’ve got the hang of this lets take it one step further and instead doing spot contrast treatments to a single injury or joint, try giving your whole body the plunge and jump in the pools. If you’re local to the area you probably know exactly which ones I’m talking about or maybe you’re one of the lucky few who has access to some natural and free sauna/ hot springs spots on the river. I can’t tell you which spot is my favourite but I can say that going to the Scandinav Spa in Whistler is an experience on its own that I highly recommend! If one of these spots is on your destination list you’ll experience a few extra added benefits from being fully submerged in the pools. First, the benefit of buoyancy; this relieves the weight and pressure on our joints and muscles creating a very physically and mentally relaxing experience which is something we could all use. Two, the waterfall effect at the Scandinav or that of the nearby flowing river in the cold zones creates a massaging current of water that soothes nerve endings, releasing the body’s natural pain killers called endorphins. Three, if you can stomach the cold plunge in the pools, dunking in the lake after spring skiing or submerging your whole body in the river you’re sure to feel invigorated and full of energy! Don’t forget to breath deep, holding you’re breath while in the cold further limits oxygen circulation to tissues, we want to breath nice and deep and controlled which will decrease the shock effect of the icy water. Did you know that your heart rate naturally fluctuates how fast it beats from inhaling to exhaling? It beats faster on an inhale so that we can saturate more blood with oxygen increasing the concentration of oxygen rich blood circulating through our body to our tissues.
Ok, so all of that sounds like a treat but who gets to the hot spring or spa regularly enough to continually soak in the benefits? Theres really no good reason why you can’t make this part of your daily routine and apply these principles to your morning shower ritual. If you’re up for the challenge try alternating hot and cold throughout the shower, OR, ending with the tap turned nice and COLD. Warmer temperatures relax the body and make you sleepy, not what we want in the morning. Cold wakes you up, no caffeine needed, just a solid 30+ second stand under that shower and you’ll be energized and ready for the day!
For the simplest version of this technique and hydrotherapy concept used on a single body part or joint the easiest thing to do is fill two different bowls, buckets or whatever sized vessel comfortably fits the injured tissue. Fill bucket one with as hot of water as you can stand without burning yourself, the other with ice water. Feel free to include actual ice cubes in there. Consider adding Epsom salts into the hot side and reap the benefits of enhanced muscle relaxation due to the magnesium and mineral content of the salt. For this style of contrast hydrotherapy start on hot and always end on cold. You want to aim to complete at least 3 cycles at a 3:1min hot:cold time ratio, best done daily when dealing with a physical injury through the acute phase.
- Try it out, I bet your body will thank you!