Hydrotherapy- How it could help you turn the corner in your rehab
Rehabilitation from injuries can be a long-term process. For certain conditions, factors such as pain, strength, range of motion, reduced aerobic fitness and other medical conditions can hinder your progressions in rehab with your physiotherapist. If this situation sounds similar for you, then you may be an ideal candidate for trying hydrotherapy!
What is Hydrotherapy?
Hydrotherapy is basically a water-based therapeutic exercise program that is conducted under the supervision of a physiotherapist. The physiology and physics behind hydrotherapy can offer many benefits such as:
- Warmth: helps reduce joint stiffness, allowing you to do more exercise in the pool compared to on land.
- Weightlessness: When you stand in waist-deep water, half of your body weight is supported, while standing neck deep will have approximately 90% of your body weight supported. This weight-bearing reduction can allow you to do certain exercises that you may have trouble doing when fully weight-bearing on land.
- Water resistance: Buoyancy refers to the force in the water that pushes upwards against gravity. Therefore, doing exercises against the direction of the buoyancy will provide added resistance to the movement.
- Hydrostatic pressure: Basically, the deeper you are in water, the more pressure that is exerted onto your body. In 1 to 2 metre depths, there is enough pressure to assist with blood circulation and improving lymphatic drainage.
Great, where can I go to start Hydrotherapy?
At Hoppers Physio, we offer hydrotherapy classes which are run at Aquapulse by one of our physiotherapists. If you are interested, first you would be required to schedule an appointment with a physiotherapist in the clinic to conduct an assessment and to ensure you are safe to be in the pool. From there, you will book your appointments and receive a pass to begin!
Here is the link to our timetable
https://www.hoppersphysio.com.au/classes/pool-timetable/
If you have any questions, feel free to ask your treating physiotherapist or call our reception staff at (03) 9749 5110 and they’ll be happy to assist!