Hydrotherapy for Restless Legs Syndrome: Results of the HYDRAC Study (16.04.2025)
Kubasch J., Ortiz M., Binting S., Soll S., Icke K., Dietzel J., Nögel R., Hummelsberger J., Willich SN., Brinkhaus B., Teut M., Siewert J.
Hydrotherapy and acupressure in restless legs syndrome: results of a randomized, controlled, three-armed, pilot study (HYDRAC-study)
a cluster randomized controlled trial protocol.
Front Med (Lausanne). 2025 Apr 16;12:1571045. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1571045.
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) represents a considerable burden for those affected, often accompanied by severe sleep disturbances and a reduced quality of life. The randomized, controlled pilot study HYDRAC investigated the effectiveness of non-pharmacological treatment approaches through water applications and acupressure.
Study design and methodology
The three-arm study compared the effects of the following over a period of several weeks:
Hydrotherapy: Cold knee and thigh douches specifically carried out according to the Kneipp concept.
Acupressure: The targeted stimulation of specific pressure points.
Control group: Continuation of the conventional standard therapy.
Key results
The results of the study demonstrate the potential of integrative methods:
Symptom relief: Participants in the hydrotherapy and acupressure groups reported a significant reduction in RLS symptoms compared to the control group.
Improved sleep quality: In particular, cold water treatments helped to make falling asleep easier and to increase the quality of sleep throughout the night.
Self-efficacy: Since both methods are easy to learn and can be performed at home at low cost, the patients’ subjective feeling of being able to actively influence the disease increased.
Conclusion for practice
The HYDRAC study provides important evidence that physical stimuli such as cold showers represent an effective complement to conventional therapy. For companies, this offers an approach to support affected employees through simple self-help instructions and thus reduce the burden caused by illness.
Further information about the study can also be found in the interview with Dr. Julia Siewert. “Integrative Medicine as an Effective Aid for Self-Help (2025)”
You can find the original study in English via the button (pdf).