February 7, 2019 – Years ago, when I first started working for Olympic Hot Tub, I had the bad luck of someone hitting me in my car, causing it to do a 360-degree spin in the middle of one of our busy city streets in Seattle. I was 34 years old at the time and, like many people out there after an accident, thought I was perfectly fine.

Two days later, once my body was in full appreciation of what had happened, my back was in significant pain. Six months later, I discovered that I had herniated a disc in my back. It had gotten to the stage then that I needed surgery to deal with the herniation. Over the years, I’ve had bouts of back pain tied to that disc. And, about 8 years ago, it was determined that I had a couple more discs with some issues near my neck. While that discovery has led to fewer pain issues, I do experience neck pain as well for brief periods.

Luckily for me, I’ve not been in the situation like many with chronic back or neck pain. There are plenty of people out there that do suffer from this. In fact, the National Institute of Health reports that Americans invest more than $50 billion a year to fight back pain alone!

Whether it’s a disc issue, sciatica, osteoporosis or an injury that causes your back pain, it’s well documented that the combination of ice and heat can help provide much needed relief and healing. Doctors will often recommend icing the area for the first 48-72 hours. After that, heat seems to be the ticket—and heat from hot water soaking is ideal.

Using a hot tub to address neck and back pain does a lot to alleviate the “ow” and encourage the ”ahhh”. The buoyancy your body experiences just by getting into the tub immediately relieves pressure and stress. Once you’re immersed in the hot water, heat can penetrate the muscles surrounding your spine, aiding in reducing the opportunity for muscle spasms. Hot tubbing also increases blood flow and promotes healing to tissue that’s been injured.

If you can manage it, using the jets on the muscles surrounding the flow will further stimulate blood vessel dilation, ramping up the blood flow even faster.

One of the best things when my back is in that world of hurt? Sitting in a Hot Spring Spa with Moto-Massage DX jets taking care of my back. It’s such a wonderful feeling! This patented wonder features two jets that sweep up and down the muscles on either side of your spine. Because the jets aren’t stationary, it allows you to camp out in front of them and truly let the miracle of hydromassage go to work. Years ago, when I was having an issue with my back and I had to go to a neurosurgeon, he looked at my file and commented, “You work at Olympic Hot Tub. Do you have one of their tubs?” When I said yes, he said, “I’d rather you try soaking in it and using the Moto-Massage jets to alleviate your pain and see if we can avoid any more surgery.” Wow! And, of course it turned out he had purchased a Hot Spring Spa from our company a few years before!

I hope you’re not one of the millions out there suffering from chronic back or neck pain. But, if you are, I would encourage you talk with your physician to see if hot water soaking can be a significant part of your health plan. Then, invest in a Hot Spring Spa to give you the instant relief and recovery regular soaking can provide.