How is a Hip Bath done?

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A Hip bath also known as a sitz bath is one of the most useful types of hydrotherapy. This form of treatment involves covering a person’s lower abdomen, buttocks, and upper thighs with enough water. A special type of tub is used for the purpose. The reason for this is so the patient can sit with only the hips and buttocks thus receiving full benefits of the bath. Using a sitz bath is a well-liked hemorrhoid home treatment choice. It is a basin made of ceramic or plastic materials. It is used in treating various conditions, such as post childbirth injuries and bruising or hemorrhoids. The bath is large enough for a person to sit inside it comfortably and its walls are tall enough to keep the hips covered with water. Some of these hip baths let a person to constantly add warm water, preventing it from getting cold and redirecting the overflow into the toilet.

How does the tub look like?

The tub is oval in shape.  One end of the tub is lifted so that the patient can rest his back against it.  This is the ideal tub for taking a hip bath.  Usually, the tub for a hip-bath should be about 30 inches (75 cm) long and 20-22 inches (50 cm) wide.

How is hip bath performed generally?

A hip bath can be taken from 10 to 20 minutes. People who are very thin should not take hip bath more than 10 minutes and the people who are not thin can continue for 20 minutes. 

During winter the duration of the hip bath should be reduced by about 25 percent. 

Initially, hip bath should be taken only for a minute or two. Gradually, the time can be increased to 10 or 20 minutes. The special tub is filled with water at  64 - 77 ° F. The level of the water should be adjusted in such a way that it touches a person’s navel when they sit in it. 

After drinking a glass of warm water, the patient can sit in the tub. The patient’s feet should be outside the tub and abdomen thighs must be submerged in the water. One can rest back against the lifted portion of the tub and remain in that position. 

With a rough towel the abdomen is rubbed from the right to the left. This action is done gently so that the skin is not scraped. 

What are the various types of Hip baths?

Hot Hip Bath

The patient should drink one glass of cold water.

• A cold compress should be kept on the head.

• Hot hip bath should begin at 400C.
• The temperature should be gradually increased to 450C.
• Hot hip bath is often taken for 10 minutes at a water temperature of 400C to 450C.
• A cold shower bath should be taken immediately after the hot hip bath.
• It is crucial to prevent the patient from catching a chill after the bath.
• The bath should be stopped immediately, if the patient experiences excessive pain or dizzy.

Cold Hip Bath

• A cold hip bath is a regular treatment in most diseases.
• For a cold hip bath, temperature of the water must be 100C to 180C.
• If the patient feels cold or is very weak, a hot foot immersion should be given in addition to the cold hip bath.
• The period of the bath is generally 10 minutes.
• However, in certain conditions it may differ from one minute to 30 minutes.
•  The patient should rub the abdomen vigorously down from the navel and across the body with a fairly coarse wet cloth.
•  The legs, feet and upper part of the body should be completely dry during and after the bath.
•  Following the cold hip bath, the patient should perform moderate exercise like ‘yoga’ to warm the body.
•  The cold hip bath should not be done in severe inflammations of the pelvic, abdominal region and in painful contractions of the bladder, rectum or vagina.

Neutral Hip Bath

• For a neutral hip bath, temperature of the water should be 320C to 360C.
•  Rubbing the abdomen is avoided in this bath.
•  This bath is generally taken for 20 minutes to an hour.

Alternate Hip Bath

This bath is also called as “revulsive hip bath”.

•  For this type of bath, the water temperature in the hot tub should be 400C to 450C.
•  In the cold tub, temperature should be 100C to 180C.
•  The patient should alternately sit in the hot tub for five minutes and then in the cold tub for three minutes.
•  The period of the bath is generally 10 to 20 minutes.
•  The head and neck should be kept cold with a cold compress.
•  The treatment should terminate with a dash of cold water to the hips.

What are the benefits of hip baths?

 Hot hip bath: A hot hip bath helps to relieve painful menstruation, pain in the pelvic organs, painful urination, inflamed rectum or bladder and painful piles. It also benefits enlarged prostatic gland, painful contractions or spasm of the bladder, sciatica, neuralgia of the ovaries and bladder.

 Cold hip bath: Cold hip bath relieves constipation, indigestion, obesity and helps the eliminative organs to function properly. It is also helpful in uterine problems like irregular menstruation, chronic uterine infections, pelvic inflammation, piles, hepatic congestion, chronic congestion of the prostate gland, seminal weakness, impotency, sterility, uterine and ovarian displacements, dilation of the stomach and colon, diarrhea, dysentery, hemorrhage of the bladder and so on.

 Neutral hip bath: The neutral hip bath aid to relieve all acute and sub-acute inflammatory conditions such as acute catarrh of the bladder and urethra and sub-acute inflammations in the uterus, ovaries and tubes. It also relieves neuralgia of the fallopian tubes or testicles, painful spasms of the vagina and prorates of the anus and vulva. In addition, it is a sedative treatment for ‘erotomanis’ in both sexes.

  Alternate hip bath: This bath relieves constant inflammatory conditions of the pelvic viscera, for example, salpingitis, ovaritis, cellulitis and different neuralgias of the genito-urinary organs, sciatica and lumbago.

What are the precautions?

•  Hip baths should not be taken within three hours after a meal and one hour before it.
•  Hip bath and foot bath should be taken two hours after a meal.
•  Dirt free and pure water must be used.
•  Temperature and duration should be carefully watched to get the desired effects.
•  A thermometer should always be used to measure the body temperature.
•  Women should not take hip bath during menstruation. 

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