Clinical Hydrotherapy (24 hours)

Clinical Hydrotherapy is the use of water in all of its forms, including ice and steam or hot and cold contrast temperatures, to address a wide variety of health conditions, maintain and restore health, reduce pain, stress, discomfort, and speed recovery after surgeries, to name just a few. Treatments include full body immersion, steam baths, saunas, sitz baths, and the application of hot, and/or cold compresses, mineral tubs, wraps, rubs, and flushes. Hydrotherapy is effective for treating a wide range of conditions encountered by massage therapists and can easily be integrated into the standard treatment procedures of massage therapists in a clinical or Wellness and Spa/Resort setting.

In this 24-Hour class you will learn about history of Hydrotherapy, indications/cautions/contraindications for local hot and cold applications, physiologic and thermal effects, properties of water, water temperature ranges, hydrotherapy vocabulary and general guidelines and modifications thermal effects in Hydrotherapy.

The class material includes: guidelines for doing local hot and cold applications and hydrotherapy fomentations including various cryotherapy applications: icepacks, ice massage, fomentation, hydrocollator, thermaphore (moist electric heating pads), hot foot bath, paraffin dips, contrast applications and guidelines and applications for using hydrotherapy techniques in the context of therapeutic massage including intake, documentation and client home care. In addition you will study a wide variety of European spa treatments including salt baths/rubs/glows, and herbal and seaweed/mud wraps. There will also be supplemental lectures/discussions of a variety of hydrotherapy uses including sauna’s, baths, hot tubs, showers, Russian steam cabinets, etc.

Prerequisites: Therapeutic Massage Level 1 or Equivalent