Are Hot Tubs Good For Helping Sports Injuries?

For people that are into sports, there is no doubt that they will, at some point, experience an injury or discomfort resulting from physical activity. Hot tubs can be extremely beneficial, both as a preventative measure as well as to help treat sports-related injuries.

The most common types of injuries that can be expected are muscle pulls and strains, twists, and even soft tissue damage. These can vary in intensity and some are more serious than others. Mostly what they have in common is that they all cause some degree of soreness and stiffness.

As a Preventative Measure

Normally, those that are into exercising always go through a warm up prior to getting into their full exercise routine. This helps to limber up their muscles so they are not strained during the heavier exercise. Unfortunately, amateur athletes (and even sometimes more experienced ones) neglect to do this. Many times, they'll just delve into their particular sport when their muscles are tight and haven't had the time to limber up. Using a hot tub prior to a playing sports or exercising has a great effect on relaxing the muscles. This gives the person a head start, and in turn places less stress on their muscles and joints as they enter into their sports activities.

As a Treatment

The concept of a hot tub experience is that the hot water helps to increase circulation. While it's true that you could also take a hot bath, there are a few downsides to this. First, the water temperature in a bath tub diminishes quickly, while the hot tub temperature is constantly maintained. Also, you don't have the fantastic jet circulation that a hot tub provides, allowing you to receive a bit of a muscle massage.

Sometimes sports injuries cause swelling of the affected area. Generally, most health care professionals will not recommend using the hot tub when this occurs. As with any type of medical problem it is important that you follow all of your doctor's instructions, and also ask them if it is okay for you to utilize your hot tub to help with the healing process of your sports injury.

Prevention is always the best medicine, and the hot tub is ideal for those sports-loving individuals both as a prelude to their sports activity as well as a follow-up.