Hydrotherapy is an effective way of using warm water to assist in rehabilitation of acute and chronic injuries.
What makes hydrotherapy so effective is it uses water’s properties to create a fun, interactive environment which can help relieve pain and improve your range of motion. Hydrotherapy can also help increase your strength by pushing against the resistance of the water, allow you to perform exercises that you normally couldn’t on land due to your now buoyant nature and keep your muscles warm and relaxed.
Hydrotherapy is something that can be done all year round. I know the idea of a hot bath in summer isn’t ideal and last thing you want to do in winter is take your jumpers, coats and scarfs off and go for a swim but hydrotherapy isn’t just a one season activity. The water is kept at 34o all year round, so when it is 15o outside it feels warm but when its 40o outside it feels cool. The pool is also indoors so you can watch the rain and blistering sun through the window knowing they can’t touch you here! And lastly if not most importantly- your pain doesn’t disappear based on the weather. If your pain doesn’t stop in winter or summer? Why should you?
One of the most common conditions we see in the hydrotherapy pool are total hip or knee replacements but that is not all Hydrotherapy is good for. Hydrotherapy has great benefits such as pain relief, reduction in muscle spasm, improved balance and muscle strength and improved circulation. Because of this Hydrotherapy can be used to treat chronic back pain, rotator cuff weakness in the shoulder, fibromyalgia and arthritis. Also since you are surrounded by warm water you are in a safe environment with minimal chance of falling down or getting injured.
Call the clinic on 8342 1233 to arrange an initial assessment and speak to a physiotherapist about whether hydrotherapy is a good choice for you, and dust your bathers off.
Kelsey Lamont – Physiotherapist
