The Health Benefits of Hydrotherapy
Whether you are an athlete, hiker or just work long days, chances are you commonly seek avenues to improve physical performance and reduce muscle soreness and inflammation while increasing immune system function. The Kananaskis Nordic Spa is founded on the Scandinavian Nordic Tradition of cycling hot and cold water treatments to provide a natural, atmospheric hydrotherapy treatment that offers these health benefits.
What is Hydrotherapy?
Hydrotherapy utilizes water as a natural system of rehabilitation. Also known as water therapy, aquatic therapy, pool therapy and balneotherapy, hydrotherapy uses a combination of hot and cold elements to engage your muscles in a ‘temperature massage’.
The Origins of Hydrotherapy
The physical health benefits of switching between different temperatures of water dates back as far as 4500 BC, and later Roman physicians Galen and Celsus recorded treating patients with warm and cold baths to boost immunity.
The origins of hydrotherapy have a long history in “soothing sore or inflamed muscles and joints, rehabilitating injured limbs, soothing headaches, promoting relaxation… and stimulating the immune system.”
At the Kananaskis Nordic Spa, we are a natural, outdoor destination committed to offering the health benefits that are commonly used in hot and cold therapy.
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What are the Physical Benefits of Hydrotherapy?
Hydrotherapy uses water temperature to improve the health of the circulatory, respiratory and nervous systems. Active treatments at Alberta’s only Nordic Spa include our sauna, steam cabins, the gathering pool, the reflection pool, the cold plunge pool and a variety of restful stops. These engage a variety of physical health benefits, including:
- Cold water immersion, which “induces significant physiological and biochemical changes in the body such as an increase in HR, BP, metabolism, and peripheral catecholamine concentration; and decrease in cerebral blood flow.”
- Increased oxygen transport during immersion within warmer water which decreases muscle damage, including muscle soreness.
- Improved immunity using repeated cold plunges
The “warmth and pressure of water also reduces swelling and reduces load on painful joints, (and) promotes muscle relaxation.”
Why is Hydrotherapy Ideal for Athletic Recovery?
Hydrotherapy that immerses the body in hot and cold pools and steam rooms mimics the practice of using water to treat athletic recovery in other modern rehabilitative practices.
Commonly, ice water is used after practices or games to facilitate recovery and decrease soreness and inflammation of the muscle.
Similarly, heat therapy is a popular source of athletic recovery. When active, our muscles are constantly in a warm state. Coordinating cold and hot therapy encourages our muscles to enter states necessary to heal and rejuvenate. Accordingly, “heat therapy works by promoting blood flow and circulation to the treatment area which allows for oxidation of the muscles and improved healing times… heat therapy also has been shown to reduce muscle soreness and improve mobility and performance following workouts.”
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What is the Process of Hydrotherapy at the Kananaskis Nordic Spa?
At our Alpine sanctuary, you will first soak in the hot pool or element pool for 15-20 minutes, or relax in one of the four saunas or steam cabins. The hot pool and steam rooms are between 35-40 °C (95-104 °F).
Next, visitors move onto the cold cycle; by dipping into the cold plunge pool. The cold plunge pool can be between 5-10 °C (41-50 °F). Cold water treatments will reset your metabolism, and “regulate your cardiovascular system.” Even just a few seconds within the cold plunge pool will boost your metabolism.
Afterwards, your visit will focus on the rest portion of the Nordic Cycle to regulate the body’s systems, and to stabilize blood flow and heart rate. To do this, we offer a time to relax by the fire in a winterized, insulated hammock or on one of our outdoor Muskoka chairs. Alternatively, guests can reap the benefits of their hydrotherapy inside one of our cabin-style lodges or by grabbing a meal at the onsite Two Trees Bistro. We recommend repeating the hot, cold and rest cycles three times to maximize the health benefits of our hydrotherapy sessions.
Where is the Kananaskis Nordic Spa Located?
The Kananaskis Nordic Spa is 100 kilometers and a 1 hour drive west of Calgary. Located in a woodland setting behind the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, visitors can navigate the Trans-Canada Highway and follow exit 118 to the Kananaskis Trail.
Invest in Your Physical and Mental Health
Our setting is a true alpine sanctuary designed to rejuvenate your muscles and immune system. Utilizing warm and cold water temperatures to motivate the body to improve bodily performance has existed since ancient times and is a core form of recovery in many athletic practices today. At the Kananaskis Nordic Spa, you reap these health benefits while being situated in a stunning setting for an epic atmospheric recovery experience.
Hydrotherapy access at the Kananaskis Nordic Spa is open from 9AM-9PM. With the warmer weather slowly making its way to Alberta, we hope to see you trying our hydrotherapy treatment as a recovery method in the mountains!
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