28Mar 2019 by Gill

Positive Points of Hydrotherapy (Aquatic Therapy)

Hydrotherapy, or Aquatic Physiotherapy, is physiotherapy that is practised in warm water. Hydrotherapy is very beneficial and can help relieve aches and pains, mobilise stiff joints and strengthen weak muscles, as well as enhance a feeling of well-being.

Hydrotherapy being practised with a client should be overseen by a Chartered Physiotherapist to ensure that procedures and practices are being adhered to correctly.

The exercises are tailored to meet the individual’s needs, meaning it is a very adaptable form of treatment. It is useful for those with physically restrictive conditions that make exercising difficult, such as arthritis or neurological conditions, or for those undergoing rehabilitation.

Whenever you are having hydrotherapy treatment a health screening tool must be used to ensure you will not experience any harm as a result. This would happen prior to you entering the warm water.

Hydrotherapy is used as a form of treatment due to the many benefits of exercising in warm water. These benefits allow a person to experience forms of exercise and movement that they wouldn’t be able to do out of the warm water. It is not just the water that makes this treatment beneficial, but the temperature of it. Amongst the benefits of hydrotherapy are:

Relief of pain and muscle spasm

The water supports the weight of your body and limbs making it easier to move them. The warm temperature of the water relieves muscle spasm allowing relaxation and increased movement.

Muscle strengthening

water provides resistance, or assistance, to the movement depending on your position, speed of movement and the exercises being carried out.
The warm temperature of the water, usually between 32 – 35^oC, helps your muscles work more efficiently as warm muscles work better than cold ones.

Improved blood flow

The warm water opens the blood vessels allowing increased blood flow around the body. The body is then working more effectively, which in turn allows for greater range of movement.

Improve balance and co-ordination

In water you can maintain and improve balance, co-ordination, walking and posture that may have been impaired due to injury, pain, surgery or general age-related deterioration.
The buoyancy created by the water helps to support the body whilst exercising and the constant movement of water creates turbulence which can be used to challenge balance.

Reduction of muscle tone

The warm water helps muscles to relax and the buoyancy of the water helps support the weight of the body. This is especially useful for people with neurological conditions who struggle with maintaining their body upright against gravity.

Wellbeing

When you can move better, relax and experience a reduction in pain your mood can be lifted dramatically, and you can feel good. Being immersed in warm water can help us feel supported and comfortable. Some hydrotherapy pools have coloured lights or relaxing music to enhance this feeling of calm and wellbeing.

As beneficial as hydrotherapy can be for some people, it may not be suitable for all and your physiotherapist will be able to advise you further on this matter.
Currently Positive Positioning practice hydrotherapy at Armley Leisure Centre and Holt Park Active, where we also deliver training to Leeds Adult Care staff.
If you would like to know more as you think this may be appropriate for you or someone you know, please contact Positive Positioning on 0845 1162083 or email [email protected]

Demi, Oldham

"The service I have received from Gill has been amazing. She is a very knowledgeable person and very caring and wants only best for the person she is helping. She shows compassion and strives to help improve a persons quality of life. I would highly recommend as she is brilliant at the job she does!"

Neil Stirk

I've been working with Positive Positioning for circa 4 years now to improve my physical and general wellbeing and I highly recommend their services. I reached the stage where I desperately needed help, although I was initially very weary as previous errors in my treatment by other medical professionals led to my conditions worsening, I was immediately put at ease on meeting Gill.

She spoke to me with professionalism, was genuinely interested in my problems, and more importantly, treated me like the person I am, not just a patient. During this conversation, seemingly little things had been picked up on, even without physical examination, such as my pelvic positioning, that was contributing to my pain. Gill contacted the relevant ppl to get my wheelchair adjusted to sort this problem and it made a massive difference. It was this expertise and eye for detail that was used to improve many areas of my life, often with only small adjustments turning out to be life changing.

When products from external companies were required to improve my conditions, Gill and Positive Positioning were on hand to liaise and attend appointments with suppliers, to ensure the correct equipment was supplied for my needs and prevent me from becoming a victim of the 'hard sell'. Gill and Positive Positioning are always willing to go the extra mile to help out and with my issues being degenerative, it is great to know I can contact them when needed and be confident I will receive the help required.

Coincidentally, I undergo hydrotherapy on a regular basis, where I see Gill and many of her other clients, and the working relationship, and humour that accompanies it, which means so much to me, is apparent with all under her care. I would like to thank Gill and her team for all the support I have received so far and am confident I will continue to receive the help I need in the future. Thank you Positive Positioning.

Caroline Poskitt

"Thank you so much for making a difference to our clients wellbeing. I Can honestly say that I have noticed a difference in the last two weeks, not only the service users looking and acting more healthy but our staff are in high spirits and getting a lot out of your sessions. You have really made a difference for the better and we look forward to the future of helping more of our clients to achieve a higher level of fitness and more durability in their joints."
Deputy Manager, Mental Health & Physical Impairment, Leeds Adult Social Care

Ian, Leeds

"Following a stroke in Nov 2012 which resulted in the loss of use of my left side, I had the statutory ten weeks NHS physio. Not wanting to regress, I went on-line to find a neuro physio. Gill had excellent reviews and has worked with me now for seventeen months with great improvement in my ability. Gill also helped to obtain a stand aid which has been a great bonus. I strongly recommend Gill Arnett as an excellent and very friendly professional."

Chris Wainmann, LLB

"Gill is very approachable and immediately gives you the confidence to know that any problem with posture will be solved. Having Cerebral Palsy and therefore sitting in a powered wheelchair all the time, I was constantly leaning to one side. Gill visited me at home, did a thorough assessment and concluded that my pelvis needed more support. I now have a specially designed and purpose made pressure cushion. I sit more evenly which means more comfortably and I also have much less of a problem with pressure sores. Gill is happy to come back in the future and check that all is well. I have no hesitation in recommending her to anyone with a posture problem. She has made such a difference to my life."

MS of Leeds 2016

"When Louise Haigh (Stroke Co-ordinator) visited me she recommended Positive Positioning for some neuro-physiotherapy. I spoke to Gill who was very helpful, and then to Jan, who said the treatment would be in my own home — this made all the difference to me. And what a difference it has all made!

From the start Jan has been professional, efficient, friendly, encouraging and totally reliable. For ages I felt ‘in limbo’, but having a plan of action led to motivation to do the exercises which were hard, but I persevered, and was encouraged to realise I was improving. I was ‘stretched’ by an increase in repetitions, more exercises, less support. We talked about other things happening in my life, and worked on holistic coping strategies. I feel my confidence has improved and to a large extent have ‘got my life back’. My posture has certainly improved: friends have commented on it.

It doesn’t all come to a sudden halt after the visits. I'm working on my ‘maintenance programme’ of daily exercises to keep up the work Jan started. I'll be forever grateful for Jan’s amazing teaching, reasoning, good communication, wide knowledge of physiotherapy applied to my situation - all with her positive outlook."

E in Normanton

"I always have a fantastic experience at my physiotherapy sessions. I've had sessions with my therapists Gill and Jan for many months now. They are knowledgeable and took the time to understand and be attentive to my needs. I have always felt at ease with them, supported and encouraged throughout my treatment, and I am steadily making progress with them. They will ensure they work you hard to challenge you and get the most out of the time during the sessions. Thanks to their expertise, I've regained some mobility and confidence in my body. I highly recommend their services to anyone seeking top-notch physiotherapy care!"