Analgesic Effect of Hydrotherapy: A Narrative Review of Current Evidence

Abstract

Pain is a primitive human instinct that alerts the body’s defense mechanism to prevent damage. Hydrotherapy is the most common modality of treatment used for pain management in naturopathy. This review aims to scientifically evaluate the analgesic effects of hydrotherapy used for pain management. A thorough literature search from inception (1 January 1946) until 16 March 2022 was performed with electronic databases such as Scopus, Embase, PubMed/MEDLINE using the keywords “Hydrotherapy” OR “Balneotherapy” AND “Pain” OR “Analgesic effect.” Seven articles were identified in total. The available evidence suggests hydrotherapy to have significant analgesic effects, attributed to the physical and thermal properties of water.