Hydrotherapy is a therapeutic whole-body treatment that involves moving and exercising in water; essentially physiotherapy in a pool. Hydrotherapy pools are usually different from ordinary pools – the temperature, pressure and movement of water is controlled and changed according to who’s using the pool, and why. However you could have hydrotherapy in any water or pool as it is a lot to do with movement.
Doctors often prescribe a course of hydrotherapy as part of a treatment program. Hydrotherapy sessions are also used by athletes to improve and maintain their general health, and fitness, and by others as part of a healthy whole-body routine.
There is a huge sense of achievement and independence gained from aquatic therapy and water immersion, especially for those who are unable to perform these activities on dry land. The benefits of hydrotherapy also extend to wellbeing.
Being immersed, buoyant or massaged in water can relieve our bodies in a variety of different ways, and hydrotherapy can help with many physical and emotional complaints, including
- back pain
- pain relief
- anxiety, stress and high blood pressure
- poor muscle and skin tone
- poor circulation
- muscle pain, soreness and inflammation
- headaches
- hip or other joint replacements (before and after the operations)
- muscle or ligament injuries; broken limbs
- spinal cord injury
- neurological conditions such as strokes or brain injuries
- rheumatoid arthritis, cerebral palsy, ankylosing spondylitis