Effects of Passive Hydrotherapy WATSU (WaterShiatsu) in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy: Results of a Controlled Pilot Study

Abstract

Background. WATSU (WaterShiatsu) is a complementary therapeutic treatment method comprising passive stretches and massage techniques administered in 35°C warm water. Pregnant women claim safe methods to reduce pain, stress, and fatigue. Therefore, we conducted a pilot study evaluating the effects of WATSU on pregnancy-related complaints in third trimester pregnant women. Methods. Nine healthy pregnant women at gestational week ≥34 were included in an intervention group (receiving WATSU) and compared to eight women in a passive control group (receiving no treatment). WATSU was performed on days 1 and 4 of the study, accompanied by ultrasound examinations. Outcomes include physiological and psychometric as well as qualitative data. Participants in the control group completed questionnaires only. Results. WATSU was found to significantly lower participants' levels of stress and pain and to improve their mental health-related quality of life and mood. In comparison to the passive control group, participants in the intervention group reported reduction in perceived stress from day 1 to day 8 (P = 0.036, Cohen's f = 0.57). Qualitative data indicate that WATSU was appreciated as enjoyable and deeply relaxing. No negative side effects were reported. Conclusion. Our findings support the notion that WATSU yields therapeutic benefits for pregnant women and warrant further research. This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01708018.

Applications, indications, and effects of passive hydrotherapy WATSU (WaterShiatsu)—A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The five RCTs in the assessment were from Korea [10], New Zealand [8], India [50], Brazil [51], and Turkey [52], and the two non-randomized controlled trials (CTs) were from Israel [53] and Switzerland [9]. Control groups underwent no treatment [9,52], massage [8], active hydrotherapy [51,53], passive stretching on land and in water [10] or were not specified [50].…”

“…Therefore, therapeutic indications of WATSU are reported in the literature, e.g. to address musculoskeletal conditions [8,9] neurologic diseases [10][11][12][13], and mental distress [14][15][16], to complement palliative care [17,18], or to meet the needs of cognitively impaired individuals [19][20][21][22]. Originating in the Asian philosophy of maintenance and restoration of health, WATSU can be considered as a floating massage, a tool for rehabilitation, a guided meditation to foster mindfulness and resilience, and a mediator of personal and spiritual growth [8,14,[23][24][25].However, the literature concerning WATSU appears to have been neither systematically reviewed nor evaluated to date.…”

The Effect of 12-Week Passive Aquatic Bodywork on Sympathovagal Balance of Obese Youth

“…Watsu is considered to be one of the promising method for acceleration in recovery, conservative and restorative functions and the activation of afferent C-tactile fibers (Schitter et al 2015). Mooventhan and Nivethitha (2014) suggested that balanced psychomotor state with increased sympathovagal balance and level of serotonin is due to the warmth and the massage effect of water.…”

“…The findings of a number of studies (Schitter et al 2015, Stan 2013, Kamioka et al 2010, Becker 2009, Geytenbeek 2002 indicated that numerous psychological and physical benefits of aquatic physical therapy. Many pyschological and functional improvements can be achieved via aquatic therapies (Inoue 2013, Kesiktas et al 2004.…”

Passive Hydrotherapy WATSU® for Rehabilitation of an Accident Survivor: A Prospective Case Report

“…In addition, the buoyancy and turbulences of the water are acting on the patient's body. Reportedly, WATSU was introduced in programs that search to address stress [5,6], anxiety [7], symptoms of depression [6,7,8], posttraumatic stress disorder [7,9], and pain [5,7,10,11], and to foster awareness [5,8,12]. The purpose of this case report is to depict the gains and challenges in the use of this complementary therapy during outpatient rehabilitation.…”