Hydrotherapy

Q. Do you use a hydrotherapy pool as part of the physiotherapy programme?

• Hydrotherapy (i.e.) exercise in warm water is used to make movement easier by taking weight off the joints. It is useful for people who have lost strength due to disease or pain but whose muscles are still well controlled by their brain.
• People who have lost movement and strength due to an injury to their brain need to practice moving their limbs in a way that most resembles how the muscles normally work. For instance, balance may be improved by practicing sitting and standing independently in a normal setting, not in the water. Research has shown that this is the most effective way of improving muscle control.
• Moving in water is very different from ordinary movement because you have to move against the resistance of the water but not against gravity. Learning movements in the pool does not carry over to improving the patient's movements outside of the pool.

  The physiotherapists sometimes take people swimming to check their water safety and swimming ability, but this is done in an ordinary pool, not a hydrotherapy pool.

Last modified: Thursday, 20 April 2006