Hip baths are one of the widely used hydrotherapy treatment. In hip baths, the patient has to dip the hip and abdominal region below the navel in water. The patient is made to sit in tube, so as to make his body up to navel from below to immersed in water. Hip bath is given in hot, cold, neutral and other temperature.



Hot Hip Bath

Hot hip bath is taken for about ten minutes with water at 40 C to 45 C. The patient is made to sit in a tub at 40 C water and the temperature is increased up to 45 C. The cold pack must be applied on the head avoiding friction to abdomen. Before hot hip baths, he must drink a glass of cold water. After hot hip bath a cold shower bath is advised immediately. One must avoid exposing to cold to avoid chill. This water treatment is useful in relieving painful menstruation. It reduces enlarged prostate. It is also useful in painful contraction of the bladder, sciatica, piles and ovaries.

Cold Hip Bath

For cold hip bath, maintain the water temperature at 10 to 18 C for a period of 10-15 minutes, some times up to half an hour. If the patient feels cold then immediately hot foot immersion bath is advised along with cold hip bath. Then the patient’s abdomen below the navel must be rubbed briskly with a course wet cloth. After the bath the legs, feet and upper part of the body must be dried. Then he should undertake light exercise to warm up the body.

Cold hip bath is a routine treatment for constipation, obesity. Indigestion and regulates the eliminative organs to work properly. This water treatment also helps in menstrual problems, hemorrhoids, liver congestion, prostatic congestion, and uterine disorders, sterility, displacement of uterus and ovaries. It is contraindicated in diseases of pelvic organs, ovaries and inflammation of the bladder, virginal and rectum.

Neutral Hip Bath

Neutral hip baths is a type of hip bath with water of 32º C 36º for 15 minutes to one hour. It relieves acute and sub-acute inflammations of ovary and fallopian tubes and bladder and painful spasm of vagina, itching of anus and vulva and it acts as a sedative treatment for erotmanis in both sexes.

Alternate Hip Bath

The patient is made to sit alternately in hot hip with water at 40 degree C and cold tub of 10-15º C for about 6 to 8 minutes respectively. The duration of hip bath is 10-25 minutes. During the treatment the head and neck are applied with cold compress. Applying cold water to the hips is the end of the treatment.

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.

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