Over the years float tanks have been linked with a huge range of benefits. Photo / Getty Images
Over the years float tanks have been linked with a huge range of benefits. Photo / Getty Images
Can floating in a tank full of heavily salted water work wonders for chronic pain? Megan Wood soaks her sore back to find out.
The promise
As someone who experiences chronic back pain, I have tried just about everything to find relief. I had heard about float tanksbut never really considered it as an option until I found myself on a work trip to Sydney with a bad back and a long list of deadlines. Thinking I would try to book in a massage, I stumbled across a clinic in Sydney's inner west that offered - among other things - flotation therapy. The float tank was the only service available to me at such late notice, so I decided to take the plunge.
In 1954 an American scientist, Dr John Lilly, wanted to study the effects of sensory deprivation on the brain. He invented the world's first float tank with this goal in mind. His original tank saw subjects completely submerged in 725 litres of water with a breathing mask placed over their heads to provide oxygen and block out light. Lilly tweaked his original design, adding hundreds of kilos of salt, enabling participants to float easily, without submerging their head.
It wasn't until the early 1970s that a couple from California, Glenn and Lee Perry, decided that the relaxation benefits of the isolation tank could be used in a holistic way. With help from Lilly himself they created a new design, aimed at those looking for intense relaxation. The Perrys' first commercially available float tank was called "The Samadhi". The Samadhi proved to be a huge hit with the wealthy at the time and was a feature in the homes of celebrities such as John Lennon, Kris Kristofferson and Robin Williams.
The science
Flotation therapy is based on the scientific theory of R.E.S.T., or Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique, which was explored through the National Institute of Mental Health in Washington in the 1950s. Over the years float tanks have been linked with a huge range of benefits. Clinical studies have used floatation therapy as treatment for conditions such as depression, post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders and chronic pain caused by conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.
In terms of pain relief, the float tank works in two ways. The first is relaxation. The second is buoyancy. More than 350kg of Epsom salts are added to the water making the participant float with ease. The weightlessness takes pressure off sore muscles and joints and straightens the spine. The salt also contains high levels of magnesium which has been shown to reduce muscle tension and aid in sleep.
In 2001, Swedish researchers explored the benefits of floating on a range of participants, including those who suffered extreme chronic pain. All participants experienced benefits, but the chronic pain group saw a reduction in pain, lowering of blood pressure, improved mental health and better sleep.
Arriving at the clinic I was immediately ushered through to a private room gently illuminated by a single salt lamp. Aside from the float tank, which was much smaller than I was expecting, the room boasted a shower, side table, heater, a few artificial plants for ambience and a little step to assist you into the tank. My host, Anne, explained that I was to shower first and then simply lower myself into the tank and close the lid as much, or as little as I liked, which was a huge relief as I am claustrophobic. I was told that gentle music would play throughout, only stopping to indicate that my hour-long float was over. Once alone, I showered and climbed in. The water temperature was perfect. There was a little neck pillow floating around, a bit like the ones you use on a plane, so I popped it behind my head, closed the lid of the tank and lay back.
Here I am looking relaxed and glowing after my float session.
The verdict
I floated in the tank with millions of thoughts buzzing through my head and my back and hip clearly still angry with me but as the minutes went by I felt my muscles relax. I remember thinking how relaxed I felt and wondering if I would get bored just floating for an hour and then suddenly, what seemed like just five minutes later, the music stopped - my float was over. I opened the lid and sat up completely stunned. It was as though time just vanished. I showered, dressed and wandered out to reception taking note of how my body felt. The tension in my hip had gone almost completely and I could walk freely for the first time in days. The effects probably wouldn't last long term but an hour of floating had rendered me virtually pain free and I was loving it.
