Ask anyone who owns one and they will tell you that they feel better after using their hot tub. And there’s always been anecdotal evidence that the hot water and jets of a spa relieve back pain.
In 1995, a study published in the British Journal of Rheumatology offered evidence that hot tub therapy has both short– and long–term benefits for people with lower back pain. A later study, published in the Journal of Rheumatology by a group of researchers in France, showed that after three weeks of consistent hot tub therapy, examinations showed more improvement in the health status (as measured in pain duration and intensity and back flexibility) of the spa treatment group than of the medication-only group. After six months, significant improvement continued in the spa therapy group. In addition, their use of analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs had decreased.
The preceding research information was featured in the March–April 1996 issue of Arthritis Today.
