The Therapy Toolbox - Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy, the use of exercise therapy in a swimming pool, is a great addition to land-based rehabilitation.

At Dorset Orthopaedic, we complete our hydrotherapy sessions in a pool local to the clinic the client attends or, if more suitable, in a pool close to their home. Many clients are nervous about the thought of hydrotherapy - worrying about how to get in and out of the pool, keeping balance when they’re in the water and what to do while they’re in the pool. Please be reassured that we will go through everything thoroughly with patients beforehand and we’ll be in the pool to help too. Nearly all of our clients really enjoy hydrotherapy once they’ve got used to it!

Depending on the client we may hire a private pool initially but will ultimately transfer the sessions to a public pool. Private pools are an excellent way to build water confidence but feedback told us that clients found it hard to transfer the skills they had learnt during rehab to their facilities back home. A lot of the anxiety around going to the pool centres around transferring and being exposed and feeling vulnerable around other people. Venting all this anxiety and getting through it with someone familiar by your side is much easier than doing it alone.

We often practice deep water jogging in the pool which helps to improve coordination and facilitates a more normal reciprocal walking pattern on land. The buoyancy of the water also helps to offload the pressure taken through the joints on land. This means painful and restricted joints can be moved more freely and exercises that would not be possible on land can be practised in a pain free environment.

The water also provides some hydrostatic pressure which can help with limb swelling. This is particularly good for any more recent amputee patients or those that struggle with volume fluctuations.

We also focus on swimming technique and water-based exercises, where indicated.

Further possible benefits of hydrotherapy include:

• Increased mobility by exercising without the fear of falling or putting high loads through the joints.
• Reduced pain and muscle spasm by increasing blood circulation and providing muscles with heat to help them relax. Some clients also report that phantom sensation and general pain reduces during a hydrotherapy session.
• Strengthens weak muscle groups. This is especially useful for early stage patients who would not be ready for strength exercises in a gym.
• Re-educates normal movement patterns. Water buoyancy takes aware the fear of falling and allows the client to work on reciprocal movement patterns unhindered by having to learn specific prosthesis techniques.
• Provides an alternative to cardiovascular training. Deep water jogging reduces the loading but still provides stimulus to improve cardiovascular fitness.