Hydrotherapy
What is hydrotherapy?
Hydrotherapy (or Aquatherapy, Water therapy) refers to any exercises or activity that are
performed in water to aid in rehabilitation, recovery or strengthening. Although many
people think that hydrotherapy involves “swimming” it usually does not involve active
swimming, but involves individuals to undertake simple exercises in a warm pool.
How does hydrotherapy work?
Hydrotherapy has numerous beneficial effects to the healing body.
Thermal effects
Being inside a warm pool of water improves digestion, circulation of blood flow and also has the effect of reducing the body’s sensitivity to pain – which helps to heal injured tissues, muscles or joints. Furthermore, the warm water helps to relax and loosen muscles, hence allowing individuals to participate more actively in exercises and therapy.
Buoyancy of Water
The biggest benefit of being in the water is the feeling of weightlessness! Buoyancy is the upwards force of pressure that allows us to float. The tendency to float in water helps to promote movement and helps individuals who are unsteady on their feet, or aren’t able to put full weight through the legs to move as much as they can. Individuals can do exercises and stay active without the fear of falling over or severe pain from their whole body weight on their feet.
Viscosity
Within water, you are constantly pushing into resistance through the water. As the density of water is greater than air, it makes it much harder for us to push through water compared to walking through air. The pressure of water against your body is beneficial for reducing swelling and oedema as well as producing a therapeutic effect. Most importantly, the resistance can be used for strengthening and maintaining muscular and joint functions.
Fun!
Being in the water and having fun is such a great stress reliever and very relaxing too! Exercises should be enjoyable and if you want a change to your exercise routines on land, try hydrotherapy If you are afraid of being in the water and hesitant about starting hydrotherapy due to lack of ability to swim, do not worry! Our specially trained physiotherapists will be guiding you every step of the way with a customised exercise program made just for you.
Conditions that will benefit from hydrotherapy
Common symptoms:
Pain
Stiffness
Bruising
Swelling
Muscle pain
Menstrual pain
Common conditions:
Arthritis (Osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis ankylosing spondylitis)
Chronic Back Pain
Fibromyalgia
Lymphoedema
Chronic fatigue
Chronic pain
Parkinson’s disease
Neuropathy
Multiple Sclerosis
Cerebral palsy
Sports injuries (with weight-bearing / loading restrictions)
Muscular dystrophy
Precautions / contraindications to hydrotherapy
Cardiac condition
Open wounds
Bladder Incontinence
Infections
Common colds / fevers
Aquaphobia
Labyrinthitis
Epilepsy / Fitting
Urinary tract infection
Pregnancy
Tracheotomy
Recent chemotherapy
How can you get started with hydrotherapy?
If you are interested in starting hydrotherapy, come in to our physiotherapy clinic for a consult and we will go through your goals of hydrotherapy and get you cleared for hydrotherapy. Once cleared, we will make a customised exercise program for you to get started!