This is used to help manage inflammation and swelling in the injured body part. The temperature of a cold whirlpool is usually between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. A contrast bath treatment involves using a both warm whirlpool and cold whirlpool the same body part during treatment. A whirlpool is a body of swirling water produced by the meeting of opposing currents.
The vast majority of whirlpools are not very powerful and very small whirlpools can easily be seen when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones in seas or oceans may be termed maelstroms.
A whirlpool may be used by your physical therapist to help improve circulation, mobility, and comfort after an injury or after surgery. But what is really going on when your PT suggests you use a whirlpool in physical therapy?
If you have an injury that causes a loss of normal functional mobility, you may be referred to physical therapy by your doctor. Your physical therapist will then begin the process of treating your injury and helping you return to normal function.
Goals of Whirlpool Therapy
The typical goals of whirlpool use in the physical therapy clinic include:
- Decrease swelling
- Control inflammation
- Promote wound healing
- Improve motion
- Decrease pain
- Decrease muscle spasm
Common Injuries
Soft tissue injuries
Muscle spasm
Tendonitis
Myositis ossificans
Chronic connective tissue and joint dysfunction
Nerve entrapments
Tensosynovitis
Osteoarthritis
Plantar warts
Periarthritis
Ganglia
Bursitis
Chronic sprains / strains