Hydrotherapy is a form of water-based exercise and is often used by physiotherapists to help your recovery. In hydrotherapy classes your physiotherapist will guide you through individually tailored water-based exercises to reduce pain and muscle spasm and improve strength and mobility.
Hydrotherapy classes are ideal for those who are going through injury rehabilitation or those with long standing chronic injuries. You will perform gentle exercises in water with floatation devices as needed. This is quite different from water aerobics or synchronized swimming classes – exercises are tailored to your specific needs.
Hydrotherapy has many benefits and is used to treat a wide range of conditions including spinal, upper and lower body. It is helpful following surgery, particularly after joint replacements and back surgery. It has also proven to be extremely helpful in the management of arthritis, weight loss and general fitness.
Who can benefit from hydrotherapy?
- Chronic back or leg pain
- Osteoarthritis of the back, hips, or knees (when land-based exercise isn’t appropriate)
- After lower limb surgery
- Ankle surgery
- Hip or knee replacements
- ACL reconstruction
- Pelvic surgery
- Spinal fusions
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Parkinson’s
- Chronic pain conditions (fibromyalgia)
- Obesity (general conditioning)
- Balance and mobility problems
- Pregnancy
How does it work?
There are four main ways that hydrotherapy can help your body to recover.
Pain relief
Hydrotherapy is usually performed in heated pools, which can ease pain, improve flexibility, and reduce muscle spasm – much like using a heat pack at home on a sore back! The added benefit in hydrotherapy is that you experience this warmth while exercising, which often means you can do more, with less pain.
Reducing your bodyweight – taking the pressure off your joints and muscles
When you are in the water, the effects of gravity on your body are reduced. When you stand in waist deep water, you are only supporting 50% of your body weight. In neck deep water 90% of your body weight is supported.
This reduced load and extra support means you can perform exercises in water you cannot do on land, usually due to pain or weakness. By reducing the load, you can exercise weight-bearing joints, including your lower back, hips, knees, and ankles.
By allowing exercise through greater ranges and normalizing movements, you can reduce stiffness and increase movement. It also reduces the compressive load on weightbearing joints, which is particularly helpful for lower back problems.
Providing resistance
The water itself provides resistance as you move through it. You can change the resistance by adding floatation devices such as noodles, boards, or floats. This works muscles in a different way to land-based exercise and can improve strength and stability.
The resistance of the water also means it is very safe if you have poor balance. The resistance allows you to balance more easily and provides a safe landing if you stumble!
Hydrostatic pressure
Water also creates hydrostatic pressure - the deeper you go in the pool, the higher the pressure. Hydrostatic pressure is responsible for scuba divers getting ‘the bends’ if they surface too fast from a deep dive.
Hydrostatic pressure improves circulation by helping your lymphatic system to function – this means the gentle pressure of the water can reduce swelling when you exercise in the pool.
Is hydrotherapy right for you?
FREE Hydrotherapy Assessment
This is a 20-minute consultation with one of our hydrotherapy trained physiotherapists. You will be able to discuss any pain or questions you have, and what you hope to achieve through hydrotherapy. During this time, you will also complete some physical assessments. This will help your physiotherapist to determine the optimal hydrotherapy plan for you.
There are many rehabilitation options on offer, and it is important to be assessed by your physiotherapist or healthcare professional to find out which pathway is best for you.
Where can I find a hydrotherapy class?
We run physiotherapist led hydrotherapy classes twice per week in Wilson, just 10 minutes from our Back In Motion clinic in Como.
Every Monday 2:00pm to 3:00pm, and Friday 1:30pm to 2:30pm
If you would like to learn more, please feel free to call our friendly team at Back In Motion Como on 9313 3414.