Hydrotherapy at Spire St Anthony's Hospital

• Enhanced recovery after surgery
• Functional rehabilitation when weight bearing is difficult or not possible
• Walking problems (gait retraining)
• Muscle tightness
• Back pain.

The sessions are led by our experienced and fully qualified physiotherapists, who have undergone specialist training in hydrotherapy.

The buoyancy of water provides an excellent way to increase patient confidence and motivation before starting dry land exercise. Due to the reduced gravity environment there is less stress on joints, allowing more effective exercising. Aquatic physiotherapy can help relieve pain, promote relaxation, mobilise joints, strengthen muscles, develop balance and co-ordination and improve general fitness.

Why consider hydrotherapy?

Using properties of the water such as the temperature, hydrostatic pressure, buoyancy and resistance, can all help in the treatment of the following:

• Improves circulation and cardiovascular strength
• Improves balance and co-ordination
• Improves range of joints
• Reduces swelling
• Reduces pain and muscle spasm
• Reduces body weight therefore offloads joints and soft tissues whilst they are healing
• Is effective for strengthening muscles
• Is a safe environment for improving balance and co-ordination for individuals

Who benefits from hydrotherapy?

• Individuals who want to accelerate their rehabilitation post injury or surgery
• Individuals who find it difficult to exercise or manage their condition on land
• Individuals who would benefit from reduced pain achieved by the effects on the nervous system from being immersed in warm water

Many musculoskeletal conditions benefit from hydrotherapy including, but not limited to those with:

• Rheumatological conditions
• Impaired balance disorders
• Acute or chronic back pain
• Chronic pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, CRPS

Patients receive a full land-based assessment from a physiotherapist before commencing treatment in the hydrotherapy pool. This is a 45 minute assessment

Hydrotherapy treatments are 30 minutes one on one with a qualified Aquatic Physiotherapist.