Effects of a wellness spa intervention on muscle tension and electroencephalographic activity in community-dwelling adults

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Objective: This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the effects of a wellness spa intervention on muscle tension andelectroencephalographic (EEG) activity in healthy adults. The objective was to determine whether participation in a structured spaprogram promotes physical and psychological relaxation.
Design: Pre-post intervention study designMethods: Sixty healthy adults (23 males and37 females) residing in the community participated in a 6-week wellness spaintervention comprising 12 sessions. Each session consisted of hydrotherapy using a bade pool with varying water flow intensities.
The upper trapezius muscle tension was assessed using the MyotonPro, and EEG activity (theta, alpha, and beta) was recordedusing a wireless frontal-channel device. Paired t-tests were conducted to compare the pre- and post-intervention values.
Results: Following the intervention, the logarithmic decrement values of the left and right upper trapezius muscles hadsignificantly decreased (p < 0.01), indicating improved muscle elasticity. The EEG results showed a significant increase in alphawave activity in males (p < 0.01) and theta wave activity in both males (p = 0.01) and females (p = 0.02). No significant changeswere observed in beta wave activity.
Conclusions: The wellness spa intervention led to a measurable reduction in muscle tension and promoted relaxation of thecentral nervous system, as evidenced by the EEG changes. These findings suggest that spa-based wellness programs may serve aseffective complementary strategies for enhancing the physical and psychological well-being of healthy adults.