How a Hydrotherapy Pool Promotes Relaxation and Pain Relief
The warm water of hydrotherapy pools promotes relaxation and pain relief. These specialist pools are also designed to boost wellbeing by incorporating features like massaging jets.
These pools are often used in rehabilitation centres and SEN schools to deliver physiotherapy sessions. They can also be used at home to help with exercise and mobility.
Relaxation
The warm water and soothing massage of the hydrotherapy pool helps to ease tense muscles. This is also very therapeutic for individuals suffering from muscle pain caused by injuries or other health concerns. Soaking in a hot tub or swim spa is known to relieve stress by triggering the release of endorphins. This makes it a great way to relieve muscle tension, reduce anxiety and improve your overall wellness.
Back pain is a common issue that can have devastating effects on an individual’s life. Performing exercises and stretches in the hydrotherapy pool can help alleviate back pain by strengthening core muscles that support the spine. Additionally, the buoyancy of the water reduces pressure hydrotherapy pool on the joints allowing you to perform more intense exercises without causing excessive pain.
Performing exercises in the hydrotherapy pool can strengthen core muscles and increase balance and stability. This can help alleviate the symptoms of many conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. In addition, the water’s resistance allows you to perform more advanced exercises with greater intensity, which can improve your balance and flexibility.
Strengthening
The warm water in a hydrotherapy pool increases blood flow and circulation to muscles, joints and tissues, reducing inflammation and swelling. This is especially beneficial for people with chronic conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia and diabetes or injuries such as tendonitis and osteoarthritis.
Hydrotherapy also helps clients improve coordination and balance in a safe environment, reducing the risk of falls outside of the pool. The buoyancy of the water reduces effective body weight by up to 80% when submerged to chest height, and allows individuals to exercise at higher intensities than on land.
Water resistance provides gentle friction that strengthens muscles and improves range of motion. It also encourages the release of endorphins – natural anxiety and stress busters – which help to further ease muscle soreness.
Performing exercises in a heated hydrotherapy pool can provide up to 15 times more resistance than on land, helping to increase muscle strength. In addition, the warm water promotes blood flow to the muscles which assists with healing, enabling faster recovery.
The increased blood flow and improved circulation also stimulates the immune system, boosting your defences against colds and viruses. This is particularly important for older adults who often struggle to maintain their fitness levels in colder weather. In addition, the warm water can reduce pain and inflammation in muscles and joints, making it easier to continue exercising in the long term.
Pain Relief
Just being in a hydrotherapy pool is known to reduce stress levels and improve mood, but it also helps with pain relief. When muscles are exercising in warm water, they move more freely and can stretch and flex to an extent that might not be possible on land. This movement encourages muscle growth whilst reducing inflammation and speeding up recovery times. The hydrostatic pressure of the water helps with circulation, so damaged muscles and joints receive more oxygen to reduce inflammation, which again can help with healing.
In addition, the warm water is a natural pain reliever and helps the body release endorphins, which can help to improve mood and sleep. Hydrotherapy is also known to help with mental health, especially in people with conditions like fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis where stress levels are high and exercise difficult or impossible. The warmth of the water and endorphins can help to boost your immune system too, which can be beneficial in fighting off colds and illnesses.
Hydrotherapy is used by physiotherapists and exercise physiologists for many different reasons and offers a unique environment for rehabilitation, strength and conditioning training, injury management and more. Whether you are recovering from an injury, living with a chronic illness or simply wish to increase your fitness, contact Connect Health & Community in Bentleigh East today to book your hydrotherapy session!
Mobility
The warm water of the hydrotherapy pool stimulates sensory receptors in the nervous system eliciting a relaxation response and decreasing muscle tension, facilitating stretching and pain relief. Hydrotherapy also increases blood flow to the injured area thereby aiding healing and providing a natural pain killer.
Exercise in the water is less stressful on joints, bones and muscles because your body is buoyant so hydrotherapy pool you don’t have to support your own weight. The water also provides up to 15 times the resistance of land exercises and can help you build strength. By manipulating turbulence in the water and using floating aids, your physiotherapist can also increase resistance and challenge you to work harder.
Hydrotherapy allows you to practice mobility exercises you may not be able to perform on land, such as standing up and moving around. It can also improve balance, flexibility and co-ordination, and increase confidence in performing daily activities.
Generally, hydrotherapy is conducted at a specialist rehabilitation hospital or allied health clinic that offers aquatic physiotherapy. They will usually have a purpose-built hydrotherapy pool, trained staff and special equipment including ramps, rails, hoists or water wheelchairs to safely lower and lift you into the pool. There are also public hydrotherapy pools that are available in most local council areas – just type “hydrotherapy near me” into your search engine to find one.
