(RxWiki News) A hot soak and some aquatic fitness might be just the right treatment for your low back pain.

Water therapy has been used throughout history. Many ancient civilizations, like those of the Greeks, Romans, and Chinese, believed that water had natural healing properties. They used it to treat various ailments, including muscle pain. This type of treatment is known as hydrotherapy. It is still used today, especially in Europe and Asia. Today, a different kind of water therapy called aquatic therapy is often used for low back pain. Aquatic therapy is essentially physical therapy conducted in the water.

A review of articles found that both kinds of water therapy have small but significant short-term effects on pain, including low back pain. However, it’s still unclear if hydrotherapy helps in the long run. Hydrotherapy is just soaking in warm water, with or without minerals.

Warm or hot water transfers heat well. So, being immersed in it causes blood vessels to dilate. This can decrease pain and allow increased mobility. Whether you are injured or not, exercising in water (it doesn’t need to be hot) can offer many benefits. These include:

• Increasing your cardiovascular fitness
• Improving your flexibility
• Helping you relax

If you have back problems, aquatic exercise can also help to do the following:

Stabilize your lower back

Water provides natural resistance when you move.

• Exercising against this resistance, with the correct pushing or pulling motions, gently develops muscle strength in your back, abdomen, and hips.
• When you target these core muscles, you help stabilize your posture and support your lower back.
• The deeper you immerse your body, the greater the resistance and the more challenging the water workout will be.

Minimize pressure on your spine, joints, and muscles

Because of your body’s buoyancy in water, you weigh less. This decreases the forces on your spine, joints, and muscles. This confers a number of benefits.

• The reduced stress can help alleviate pain and decrease the chances of aggravating your back pain.
• You can move through the water (albeit slowly) with relative ease, which enables you to stretch your back muscles and improve your range of motion.
• You’re able to perform movements in water that may be too difficult or painful to carry out on a hard surface during land­based exercises.

Soothe and relax your muscles

Even without exercising, spending time in warm water can relieve pain and relax your back muscles. In addition, the soothing, warm water may encourage you to exercise more. In turn, it may enable you to achieve better results from your exercise routine.

Aquatic movements: getting started early

If you’re recovering from a recent back injury, it’s probably best to meet with a physical therapist. He or she can design a safe aquatic exercise routine that incorporates warm-water stretches to relieve pain and improve range of motion. You’ll also learn how to keep your spine properly aligned in the water.

• Most water workouts should be done while submerged in warm water that is chest- to waist-deep.
• The deeper into the water you are, the greater its buoyancy and cushioning.
• If you have a severe back injury, you may need to begin exercising in a vertical position while submerged to the neck (assisted by flotation devices).
• This position reduces pressure on the spinal nerves and soft tissues and decreases pain.
• As your spine grows stronger and is able to tolerate partial weight-bearing exercise, you can make the transition to more shallow water.
• If a physical therapist is not available, you may want to try the following aquatic exercises.
• Be sure to get your doctor’s approval first.

Watch this video demonstrating examples of aquatic exercises that help with back pain.

Lumbar rotation

• Prop arms up on pool ledge with your back to the wall.
• Bend your knees, bringing them to your chest.
• Tighten your abdominals.
• Rotate legs from left to right.
• Return legs to the center and straighten them, with your feet down.
• Perform 2 sets of 5 repetitions.

Gluteal stretch

• Stand in chest-high water with back to pool wall.
• Without arching or twisting your back, bring your right knee up to your chest and grasp with the opposite hand.
• Rotate right thigh inward while pulling across chest.
• Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Perform the stretch twice with each leg.

Hip figure 8

• Stand in waist-deep water with your back to the pool wall.
• Place arms out to side on pool ledge.
• Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Keep left knee straight and move right leg in a clockwise figure-8 motion.
• Reverse the motion in a counter-clockwise direction.
• Repeat with left leg.
• Perform 2 sets of 5 repetitions for each leg.

Shoulder diagonal I

• Stand in shoulder-height water with left arm out at 45-degree angle.
• In left hand, hold drag device (a mitt-like device that provides resistance and is available at sporting goods stores).
• Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Move left arm up and inward across body, toward the surface of the water. (Bending elbow slightly during movement is fine.)
• Return to start position and repeat. Perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions.
• Repeat with right arm.

Shoulder diagonal II

• Stand in shoulder-height water with left arm across body at opposite hip.
• Hold drag device in left hand.
• Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Move left arm up and outward away from body, toward the surface of the water. (Bending elbow slightly during movement is fine.)
• Return to start position and repeat. Perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions.
• Repeat with right arm.

Calf stretch

• Stand in chest-high water facing pool wall, hands on the ledge.
• Without arching your back, step forward with right foot, leaning hips toward wall.
• Keep left leg straight with heel on the pool bottom.
• Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Perform the stretch twice with each leg.

Knee squat

• Stand in chest-high water, feet shoulder-width apart.
• Tighten your abdominals.
• Slowly squat down, keeping heels on the pool bottom.
• Stand back up.
• Do 2 sets of 5 repetitions.