American Whirlpool, Hydrotherapy, Health & Pain Relief

Did you know that over 80% of adults across Europe and North America will suffer from some sort of muscle tension related back pain in their lifetime? Factor in the aging baby-boomer segment and doctors estimate that almost every adult will suffer some sort of body pain attributed to muscle fatigue, repetitive motion injuries, tissue fatigue or constant muscle stress due to work habits, faulty posture or simply by the amount of walking we do in our hectic daily lifestyles.

Many forms of treatment exist including chiropractic treatment, massage therapy, acupuncture, and spinal decompression. But what can you do from home to naturally alleviate the daily discomfort of pain, while also relaxing the other working muscles in your body?

For over 10 years, AMERICAN WHIRLPOOL® Spas have been working with Dr. Salanki, a renowned expert in the field of acupuncture education and chiropractic technique innovation to create the first medically designed spa which can be used for daily home treatment of pain and discomfort. After years of study and innovation, Dr. Salanki answered our questions and explained what AMERICAN WHIRLPOOL® Zone Therapy® is and what makes it work.

Pain is caused by overloaded pain receptors called nociceptors. Events like trauma, muscle fatigue, and poor posture can trigger these nociceptors on our nerve endings, telling our brain to ‘feel’ pain.

When areas of our body become overloaded with pain, whether through mechanical, thermal or chemical triggers, they begin to feel tight and sore and our bodies actually refer our ‘pain’ to surrounding areas called ‘trigger points’.

A trigger point exists when over stimulated muscle fibers called sarcomeres are prevented from releasing from their ‘locked’ state. Normally sarcomeres act like tiny pumps, contracting and relaxing to circulate blood through the muscle and surrounding tissue. When sarcomeres are ‘locked’ blood flow essentially stops and the lack of oxygen irritates the trigger point. The trigger point responds to the lack of oxygen by sending out pain signals to the brain.

This is how AMERICAN WHIRLPOOL® Zone Therapy® design works – by targeting these ‘trigger points’

There has always been a train of thought where more jets and power was what made a better spa and manufacturers had very little to offer as far as true therapy.

AMERICAN WHIRLPOOL® Zone Therapy®

Zone therapy offers optimally engineered jet size, pressure and positioning, allowing for precise hydrotherapy to the parts of the body or “ZONES” that need it the most. By looking at the most common areas of complaint due to muscle tension that are in the human body, zone therapy was developed out of the need for a system that could optimally target all of these areas at the same time.

Each zone targets one of 6 regions in the body all the way from the top of the neck to the soles of your feet and uses the right amount of pressure in each zone to apply a hydro-massage to each region. The added buoyancy provided by the water, along with the ergonomic seats means the massage is applied consistently without pushing you out of your seat an missing the target zones.

Zone 1 Sub-Occipital Zone

These trigger points are found in the area where the neck meets the back of the head and is a common cause of headaches. The Comfort Collar® gently cradles your head while targeting this area.

Zone 2 Trapezius Zone

The trapezius or ‘trap’ as many people know it, is the muscle across the top of shoulders which is the most common source for trigger points in the body – since much of our daily activities involve forward leaning and activities in front of the body. Trigger points in the trapezius zone contribute to a feeling of heaviness and pain across the shoulders, shoulder blades and upper back. AMERICAN WHIRLPOOL® Zone Therapy® includes jets which target this area and provides an improvement in blood circulation – while working to dissolve away the feeling of tension.

Zone 3 Para-Spinal Zone

The Para-spinal zone is the area immediately beside the spine from the lower neck to the lower back. Increased muscle tension in the back on either side of the spine can be linked to many medical conditions and disorders, including pain felt in the ribcage and chest. Acupuncturists have known for centuries that stimulation in the region around the lower ribs is very invigorating and promotes an increase in energy due to the connection with the adrenal glands. That’s one reason we feel so great after hydro-massage to this area.

Zone 4 Lumbosacral Zone

An attack of lower back pain is something most of us will experience at some point in our lives. Back pain is linked to excess tension and muscular trigger points in the lower back. The swirling motion provides an invigorating massage to the lower back to loosen your knots of tension and bring relaxing relief.

Zone 5 Gluteal Zone

Many of us spend far too much time sitting. Whether its driving to work, sitting at a desk, sitting for dinner, then sitting on the couch, too much sitting can lead to increased muscle tension and muscular trigger points surrounding the hips and upper thighs. Tension in these muscles can lead to pain in the buttocks, thigh and lower back. As men and women age, we are much more prone to hip arthritis and degeneration. To combat this, the jets smartly positioned at the sides of the seat bring you a penetrating and stimulating massage to dissolve tension in these muscles.

Zone 6 Foot Relief Zone®

We know that many important nerve endings in your feet connect to all parts of the body. The field of foot reflexology deals with this part of the body alone. Sore and tired feet can affect how we feel. The ingenious Foot Relief Zone® targets the upper and lower parts of the feet with invigorating streams of water that provide relaxation as a result of reflex effects throughout the body.