Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy is the prescription and delivery of tailored exercise in warm water used to treat chronic conditions and maintain health.
The obvious benefit of hydrotherapy is the reduced effect of gravity on your body. When you stand in waist deep water you are only supporting 50% of your body weight. Once you move to neck deep water 90% of your body weight is supported. This means you can often perform exercises in water you cannot do on land due to either pain, weakness or stiffness. It is a great way to exercise weight bearing joints such as your ankles, knees, hips, lower back, by allowing them to move freely. This in turn helps with any stiffness or limited movement you may have. It also reduces the compressive load if you have a joint problem.
Water can also provide supported resistance. You can create resistance, and progress by adding floatation devices to increase this resistance, using movement through the water. Shoulder rehabilitation post-surgery or for conservative rotator cuff rehabilitation can be introduced in water to facilitate movement patterns that are challenging on land. Your Exercise Physiologist will graduate your progress and show you how to use different types of equipment to do this.
Benefits of Hydrotherapy
- Aids in muscular relaxation
- Reduces pain levels
- Reduces joint stiffness
- Increases range of motion around joints
- Improves blood flow
- Increases strength and endurance
- Improves balance, reduces risk of falls
- Reduces joint pain
Hydrotherapy is beneficial in the following situations
- Rehabilitation following joint replacement
- Osteoarthritis & Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Musculoskeletal disorders or injuries
- Low back pain
- Chronic fatigue syndrome and Fibromyalgia
- High falls risk & low levels of balance
- Mental health issues
Contact us now to book in for your Hydrotherapy appointment on 07 3261 1249