What Is Hydrotherapy, and How Does It Work?
Hydrotherapy is physiotherapy conducted in a heated pool, typically maintained between 30-35°C. This therapeutic approach uses water’s unique properties to facilitate rehabilitation, pain management, and exercise in ways land-based therapy cannot replicate.
Water provides several mechanical advantages. Buoyancy reduces body weight by up to 90% when submerged to neck level, dramatically decreasing joint stress and allowing pain-free movement. Hydrostatic pressure reduces swelling and improves circulation. Water resistance provides natural, adjustable strengthening, moving faster increases resistance, allowing precise control over exercise intensity.
The combination of warmth, buoyancy, and resistance creates an environment where your body can move more freely, heal faster, and build strength progressively under qualified physiotherapy guidance.
What Are the Benefits of Hydrotherapy?
Hydrotherapy delivers wide-ranging benefits for people of all ages and abilities:
- Significant pain reduction: Warm water relaxes muscles and stimulates endorphins, providing natural pain relief.
- Improved joint mobility and flexibility: Buoyancy allows greater range of motion without pain, helping restore movement to stiff joints.
- Safe strengthening with reduced injury risk: Water resistance builds muscle strength while protecting vulnerable joints.
- Enhanced cardiovascular fitness: Aquatic exercise challenges your heart and lungs whilst being gentler on your body.
- Better balance and coordination: Water’s supportive environment allows safe balance practice, reducing fall risk.
- Faster post-surgical recovery: Early mobilisation in water accelerates healing while protecting surgical sites.
- Increased movement confidence: The safe environment helps people regain confidence after injury or during chronic condition management.
Hydrotherapy for Specific Conditions and Needs
Hydrotherapy effectively treats diverse conditions across multiple specialties. Musculoskeletal conditions including arthritis, chronic back pain, fibromyalgia, and post-surgical rehabilitation benefit significantly from the low-impact environment. People recovering from joint replacements or spinal surgery often begin movement in water weeks before they could on land.
Neurological conditions like stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and spinal cord injuries respond well to hydrotherapy’s supportive environment. Sports injuries including muscle strains and ligament sprains heal effectively through graded aquatic programs.
Chronic pain conditions, respiratory conditions, and prenatal/postnatal recovery all benefit from hydrotherapy. Elderly individuals at risk of falls use hydrotherapy to improve balance and maintain independence.
What to Expect in a Hydrotherapy Session
Initial assessment and personalised treatment plan: Your first appointment begins with a land-based assessment. Your physiotherapist reviews your medical history, evaluates your movement, and develops a tailored program addressing your needs. They’ll advise what to bring, swimwear, towel, and any required equipment.
Common hydrotherapy exercises and equipment used: Sessions typically last 30-45 minutes. Exercises progress from simple to complex based on your abilities, including walking exercises, gentle stretching, strengthening movements using water resistance, and balance activities. Equipment like flotation belts, pool noodles, kickboards, and resistance gloves enhances treatment effectiveness. Sessions can be one-on-one or small group classes.Monitoring progress and adapting hydrotherapy treatments: Your physiotherapist observes your technique, monitors pain levels, and adjusts exercises accordingly. As you improve, they increase difficulty by adding repetitions, changing speed, or progressing to deeper water. Regular reassessment ensures your program evolves with your recovery.
How do I get started with Hydrotherapy?
To start hydrotherapy, book an initial appointment with our team at ME Physio. Your physiotherapist will do a comprehensive assessment to ensure that hydrotherapy is the best and safest option for you. This hydrotherapy appointment will include learning more about your medical history, past history and a thorough assessment of your strength, flexibility and mobility. This assessment ensures that your physiotherapist at ME Physio can provide a tailored, effective and individualised approach to your hydrotherapy exercises.
At ME Physio, we offer hydrotherapy and aquatic physiotherapy at the purpose built hydrotherapy pool at Harold Holt Swim Centre.
To get started with hydrotherapy to get stronger and healthier, call our team or book your assessment online today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is hydrotherapy good for?
Hydrotherapy is good for a number of conditions that may benefit from the benefits of buoyancy and warm water.
This includes conditions such as post-surgery, arthritis or chronic pain.
Exercising in the warm water will reduce your pain and allow you to do exercises that you may not have previously been able to do due to pain.
What happens during hydrotherapy?
During hydrotherapy, the buoyancy of water reduces the amount of weight going through your body.
In addition, the warmth of the water and pressure created is great for reducing pain and stiffness. It also has benefit in reducing any associated swelling.
During your hydrotherapy appointment, your physiotherapist get into the pool with you to support and assist your personalised program.
What type of exercise is hydrotherapy?
Can I claim my hydrotherapy appointment on Private Health insurance?
Yes, we accept all private health insurance providers at ME Physio. As our hydrotherapy program is conducted by our physiotherapists, you will be able to claim Private Heath insurance extras.
You can also use HICAPs facilities, enabling us to provide on-the-spot processing of your private health insurance claims when you bring your card with you to any appointment.
What do I do when I arrive at Harold Holt Swim Centre for hydrotherapy?
Please inform the main reception at Harold Holt Swim Centre that you attending hydrotherapy with ME Physio. The hydrotherapy pool is located at the back of the centre.
Harold Holt Swim Centre is an accessible centre with pool hoists, pool pods, entry steps, accessible change room and toilets. If you require assistance, our friendly team or pool staff are able to assist.