The Effect of Hydrotherapy on Blood Pressure in Patients With Hypertension: A Literature Review

Abstract

Hypertension is often known as a silent killer and is characterized by a continuous increase in blood pressure in the arteries. Sometimes this is not felt, especially in the elderly where their body function decreases so much that it is usually only felt after complications occur. The research objective was to analyze the effect of hydrotherapy on blood pressure among patients with hypertension through a literature review. The data were collected by searching articles through Google Scholar, Science Direct, Biomed Central, NCBI, and ProQuest. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The data were then assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute steps and data extraction was carried out. According to the findings, there are 4 different methods of giving hydrotherapy, namely using the warm foot soak method (17 articles), the sauna method (1 article), the whirlpool bath method (1 article), and the cryotherapy method (1 article). Each method of giving hydrotherapy gives different results. Based on the findings, it seems that hydrotherapy can reduce blood pressure in elderly people with hypertension. In addition, giving hydrotherapy by using warm water foot soaks can be particularly effective. Keywords: hypertension, hydrotherapy, effect