Taking a hot bath is a therapeutic aid that helps with numerous medical conditions. Whether you’re dealing with a cold, circulation issues, or a weakened immune system, a hot bath is a huge help. But, what does that have to do with walk-in tub installations? Keep reading and you’ll find that it’s all connected.
So you’d think something as ordinary as taking a bath wouldn’t be difficult right? However, for many seniors or people with mobility issues, enjoying a hot bath often proves to be too physically demanding. The problem is due to the average height of a traditional tub, which averages anywhere between 16” to 24”.
Now, that’s not an issue for most people, but when you’re battling mobility issues or conditions such as arthritis—it’s debilitating. So, most adults that suffer from these conditions resort to spending money to convert their bathtubs to walk-in or roll-in showers.
The average cost of converting a tub to a shower is anywhere between $3,000 – $8,000 depending on your location. Doesn’t sound too bad right? Well, is it really a good deal? Let’s consider what you give up for that sizeable investment.
- Never have the option to take a bath
- Not practical for the kids/grandkids
- Takes a lot of maintenance to clean
- Leaks can be more troublesome than a bathtub leak
You really end up giving up a lot for not much improvement, but there is a better way.
Walk-In Tub Installations Are The Perfect Solution
What if you could take a bath without the struggle of stepping over a bathtub wall and lowering yourself in? A bathtub that is vertically designed and has a walk-in design with a watertight door seal? Would that be something that gets you excited about taking a bath again?
Think about all the therapeutic benefits you would hold on to and the conditions it could help. Listen, everyone deals with sore muscles at some point. Whether it’s due to an active lifestyle, a physically demanding job, or medical conditions—you need to rehab.
Sore muscles are also often due to a biological protection method of the body. For example, when you incur damage to a disk, nerve, or vertebra—the muscles surrounding it will contract around the injury to prevent more damage. While this is a normal response from your body and is critical for protection, it usually results in spasms that can cause more pain.
You may even have medical conditions that are the source of your muscle pain. Parkinson’s, circulatory problems, and autoimmune disorders such as fibromyalgia can cause sore muscles. If you’re using ACE inhibitors such as Lisinopril to battle high blood pressure or statins like Pravastatin for high cholesterol—they can also be the root cause.
Whatever the source of your soreness, the pain can cause you a lot of stress and even more soreness. However, hot bath therapy available with walk-in tub installations tackle the soreness and provides great relief of pain.
Why Hot Baths Sooth Sore Muscles
Some may wonder what the hype with hot bath therapy is. They also ask about walk-in tub installations at the same time and what the connection is. Well, it’s not hard to figure out how they’re intertwined when you consider the benefits of a hot bath for sore muscles.
Reduces Muscle Stress
Medical professionals from doctors to physical therapists highly recommend heat therapy for muscular injuries. You may have been prescribed a hot pack on the affected area three times a day before or something similar. While heat packs help you get a little relief, they’re very poor at penetrating that heat into your muscles.
A hot bath on the other hand combines heat therapy and hydrotherapy, which relieves pressure due to the buoyancy of water.
People that have walk-in tub installations, benefit from a full body release of muscle tension. The fact that it takes little effort to get in the bath also makes for a better experience. The hot water frees up spasms and warms all your muscles to foster relaxation.
If your walk-in tub also has jets, that’s even better as they can massage targeted pain points that can be quite stubborn.
Improves Blood Circulation Which Means Faster Healing
One of the main tasks your blood performs is the healing of the body in all facets. Muscles rely heavily on the blood because it brings vital oxygen and other nutrients into the fibers of each muscle. Without the blood, your muscles would suffocate and literally die.
How does a hot bath fit in here? Well, heat encourages blood circulation and the added buoyancy of the water relieves pressure. This allows for blood to flow more effectively bringing the nutrients that improve connective tissue elasticity. That elasticity helps to release muscle tightness, thereby relieving pain.
Easily Customize Your Bath for Different Needs
Unlike other forms of pain therapy, a hot bath is very versatile. Not only can you take a hot bath for muscle soreness, but also for other ailments. In fact, many people take hot baths in our walk-in tub installations for issues other than soreness.
For example, if the condition you’re suffering from was caused by injury or a disease such as rheumatoid arthritis—adding sea salt, or lavender oil helps. If the muscle soreness is just due to everyday activities, rose oil is a great addition to your bath.
Quick Muscle Recovery
A hot bath can be a long drawn-out activity where you pamper yourself and just relax. However, that doesn’t mean you have to soak for hours to get some healthy muscle recovery. Did you know that your hot bath can be as short as a 15-minute soak to get effective muscle recovery? Besides, after about 20 minutes the water begins to cool and is less effective.
On that note, one might be tempted to run the bath water even hotter so it lasts longer. However, if your bathwater is too hot, it actually can make the soreness worse. How is this possible? Well, when bathwater is too hot, it not only prevents relaxation but also dehydrates you. This, in turn, will cause muscles to cramp up or tighten. So keep the water no hotter than 105°—you’re taking a bath not boiling a lobster.
Get The Best In Walk-In Tub Installations With EZ Step
Regularly taking hot baths is beneficial for muscle health, pain relief, and so many conditions. However, if getting into a traditional bathtub is now hard for you due to mobility issues or age—we have the solution.
Contact us today for a consultation for our walk-in tub installations with the lowest threshold in the industry.
You CAN enjoy the benefits of a hot bath again—contact us now!