Hydrotherapy

What are the benefits of hydrotherapy?

  • The warm water relaxes your muscles allowing a greater range of movement
  • Your body is supported by the water so relieving painful joints
  • The warm water improves oxygen and blood flow to injured tissues helping the healing process
  • Allows you to focus on the exercise rather than the pain
  • Reduces muscle guarding and spasm to break the pain/spasm cycle
  • Progress with little to no pain
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From back pain to neurological problems, hydrotherapy - water-based physiotherapy - has been proven to accelerate the healing process for a wide range of conditions.

In our specially warmed pool, we help you through special exercises where the warm water allows your muscles to relax, eases the pain in your joints making the exercises easier and your recovery faster than for other rehabilitation methods.

Usually people who have conditions such as painful joints, including arthritis in several joints or lower back pain, or joint replacement surgery benefit most from hydrotherapy. The warm water supports your weight, improves blood flow and reduces pain making it easier for you to exercise.

You do not need to be able to swim to benefit from this treatment.

Hydrotherapy is proven to accelerate the healing process, faster than other rehabilitation methods. Even after your course of treatment, continued exercise is important to retain your mobility. Our group sessions allow you to exercise in the warm water at minimal cost.

What is hydrotherapy (aquatic physiotherapy)?

These treatments use specific techniques performed in water. The water temperature is usually between 33 and 37°C which is significantly warmer than in a normal swimming pool. The increased temperature of the water makes improves oxygen and blood flow to injured tissues helping the healing process.

The warm water relaxes your muscles, reduces your pain and therefore makes it easier to exercise. As your body weight is supported by the water and your muscles relaxed it is easier to increase the range of movement. The resistance of the water is also likely to improve your muscle strength.

This type of treatment is of particular benefit to people who have arthritis, back pain, ankylosing spondylitis, joint replacements and patients with neurological conditions such as strokes and brain injuries.

Some hydrotherapy treatment is likely to involve a combination of both land-based and water exercises. You do not need to be able to swim to benefit from this kind of treatment. Use is made of the properties of water, including its buoyancy and turbulence and buoyancy aids are used as necessary. You will be closely supervised by a physiotherapist with specialist training, who will design an appropriate programme of exercises.

Benefits include strengthening muscles, improving mobility, balance and co-ordination, and reducing swelling. It is also an effective method of pain relief as well as promoting relaxation and enhanced well-being. Hydrotherapy can help people with muscle and joint problems such as neck and back pain, arthritis, and those with neurological conditions such as strokes, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. It is also useful for women who are pregnant or who have recently given birth, athletes needing rehabilitation after injury and people recovering from a heart condition.

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