Burn rehabilitation using
hydrotherapy can have multiple benefits for the
burn patient. The
therapy uses specific
mineral enriched hot spring water and water jets with varied hydro-pressure to combat
hypertrophy, inflammatory reaction signs, abnormal pigmentation, and, more specifically, redness and
scarring. Standard operating procedures for
burn rehabilitation have been developed and integrated into the Standard of Care at the CHUV hospital using localized hydro-mechanical stimulation of
burn sites (20 minutes of alternating anatomical sites) followed by constant pressure large-bore and filiform showers targeting specific scarred areas. These therapeutic regimens are repeated daily for 2 to 3 weeks. Patients showed lasting effects from this regimen (up to 3-6 months), the results becoming permanent with more uniform skin structure, color and visco-elasticity in addition to a decrease in
pruritus. The specifications of clinical protocols are described herein along with the virtues of hot spring hydro-pressure
therapy for
burn rehabilitation. The use of
hydrotherapy, which has been a controversial topic among burn units across the world, is also discussed. In North America,
hydrotherapy is defined only within the scope of in-patient
wound cleansing and is thought to lead to microbial auto-contamination and bacterial resistance. In Switzerland and France the emphasis of
hydrotherapy is on rehabilitation after the
wound has closed.