Hydrotherapy History

Hydrotherapy is believed to have sprung up in the 5th century B.C. when the Greek physician Hippocrates first documented its practices. Not always known as hydrotherapy, this practice was probably referred to as "the water cure" or hydropathy by previous civiliations. The term hydrotherapy is derived from the prefix "hydro", meaning water, and refers to the therapeutic use of water at any temperature or form, including ice packs, vaporizers and hot baths.

Ancient Chinese, Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations continued to record the medicinal uses of hydrotherapy. Each ancient civilization added variations to the practice of hydrotherapy (some of which have become conventional today). In Greece, Hippocrates promoted bathing in spring water; ancient Rome created communal public baths for the purpose of promoting health and wellness; and the Egyptians believed that adding aromatic oils and flower essences would aid in the healing process. As practices changed and evolved, medicinal records continued to reflect the healing benefits of hydrotherapy.

Not long after the fall of Rome, Christian influence eliminated public baths due to the culture's objections to public nudity. However, hydrotherapy was revived in the Middle Ages and Renaissance period as physicians came to rely on springs rich in sulfur and waters rich in bromine and iodine to treat various health issues. By the 10th century, Benedictine monks recognized the therapeutic benefits of hot springs and rebuilt the Bath Abbey in England that had once been destroyed by Norse invaders. The use of the scientific method in the 18th century increased the practice of hydrotherapy throughout Europe.

By the 19th century, hydrotherapy began to spread globally. With the help of Vincent Priessnitz, a farmer of Grafenberg in Silesia, Austrian Empire, and the Bavarian monk, Father Sebastian Kneipp (often referred to as the father of hydrotherapy), a movement to expand the medical uses of hydrotherapy brought the practice to the forefront of therapeutic treatments.

New knowledge regarding hydrotherapy and new techniques using water‑specific exercises, aromatherapy, steam therapy, and chromatherapy are ensuring that hydrotherapy is still accepted as a medium for rehabilitation in its own right.