The effect of sitz bath on blood pressure and heart rate
Item
- Title
- The effect of sitz bath on blood pressure and heart rate
- Author(s)
- Leserer Eva
- Abstract
- This study was designed to test the physiological effect of alternate hot and cold sitz baths on the cardiovascular system. It was proposed that alternate hot and cold sitz bath would have a positive effect, producing a decrease in on blood pressure and heart rate. 30 subjects (18 female, 12 male) were tested using the Omron digital blood pressure device. For each subject systolic, diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) and pulse (bpm) were recorded in a rested state before hydrotherapy, after the hot sitz bathintervention, after the cold sitz bath, and finally after 30 minutes resting time. The results showed that there was a significant decrease in blood pressure and heart rate after alternate hot and cold hydrotherapy. The mean decrease was 13.7 mmHg for systolic blood pressure, 8.4mmHg for diastolic blood pressure, and 6.9 bpm for pulse. There was also a significant decrease in blood pressure after the hot sitz bath, whereas the pulse significantly increased after the hot hydrotherapy. After the cold sitz bath blood pressure increased, to then significantly fall after 30 minutes of rest. The heart rate decreased after the cold sitz bath and fell further after 30 minutes rest. Therefore, not only did the alternate hot and cold hydrotherapy overall decrease blood pressure and pulse, but each intervention had a significant effect. This suggests that the hot and cold sitz bath affected the cardiovascular system via vasodilation and vasoconstriction of blood vessels. The study showed that sitz bath has a statistically significant effect on heart rate and blood pressure which has important implication for osteopaths and naturopaths using hydrotherapy as a treatment modality for patients.
- presented at
- British College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Date Accepted
- 2002
- Date Submitted
- 1.11.2003 00:00:00
- Type
- undergraduate_project
- Language
- English
- Number of pages
- 53
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 13005
- Inst-Identifier
- 1076
- Keywords
- Hydrotherapy,Naturopathy,Cardiovascular System,Blood Pressure,Blood Vessels
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Leserer Eva, “The effect of sitz bath on blood pressure and heart rate”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.osteopathicresearch.org/s/orw/item/1333