What is Hydrotherapy
11 February 2021
What is Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy is a therapeutic whole-body treatment that involves moving and exercising in water and can be used to treat a variety of conditions. Hydrotherapy is very different to swimming and requires the individual to undertake different exercises in a warm pool of water. The water temperature is approximately 32–35ºC, which is much warmer than a traditional swimming pool.
Doctors often prescribe a course of hydrotherapy as part of a treatment program. Hydrotherapy sessions are also great for athletes to improve and maintain their general health, and fitness, or as part of a healthy whole-body routine. 
Hydro Helps
"...me stand at my sister's wedding"
Hydro Helps
"...me be a Dad again."
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What is the benefit
Hydrotherapy provides therapeutic benefits to all age groups, all fitness levels and can help to improve the lives of those suffering from a range of disabilities.
There is a huge sense of achievement and independence gained from hydrotherapy and water immersion, especially for those who are unable to perform exercise/activities on dry land. The benefits of hydrotherapy also extend to wellbeing.
Hydrotherapy can soothe sore or inflamed muscles and joints, rehabilitate injured limbs, lower fevers, soothe headaches, promote relaxation, treat burns and frostbite, ease labor pains, and clear up skin problems.
What can it help with
By relaxing the muscles alongside purposeful exercises conducted at an individual's own pace, users will be able to:
- Reduced pain
- Faster recovery from surgery
- Re-education and encouragement of normal movement
- Allows standing and exercising for those who are unable to weight-bear out of the water – the buoyancy effect of water
- Improved walking technique
- Lose weight
- Improved aerobic fitness levels
- Improved balance and coordination
- Increased strength and function of weak muscles
- Increased range of movement of your joints
- Improved independence and function
- Improved circulation
- Mobilising and lengthening your muscles
- Improve self-confidence
- Reduce the fear of falling
- A relaxing and calming experience
- Rehab from sports injuries
- Improve your overall fitness levels.
Let our expert team guide you through the benefits of hydrotherapy and find the session that's right for you. We can even create a personal hydrotherapy plan with exercises tailored just for you.
Still not sure hydrotherapy can help you, why not read what are customers have to say
Katherine's story Katherine from Weymouth was looking for something to kick start her fitness regime, but as she experienced some ongoing joint pain she was anxious about joining a gym. Here’s her story….. What were your reasons for starting hydrotherapy? “I started hydrotherapy as a gentle push-start to fitness. I have never been very active and as a result have gained lots of weight over the years. I had knee pain, back pain and calf pain. I knew I wouldn't walk into a gym as I find them very daunting but had always loved swimming. I also wanted something to boost my mental health so hydrotherapy seemed like a perfect solution! My children have their swimming lessons at a hydrotherapy pool so I thought I would give it a go” What changes and improvements have you seen? “Wow, so much changed for me! First things first my mood lifted dramatically. The hydrotherapy sessions are so much fun! My joint pains were easing and, to top it off, I was losing weight. I look forward to every single session and never thought I would ever hear myself say I couldn't wait for my next exercise session!” *We have changed our customer’s name’s at their request - but the stories are 100% real!
Mark's story Hydrotherapy has changed my life and made it possible for me to be a Dad to my two girls again. Simple things like pushing them on the swings, or enjoying a day at the beach which weren't possible before and now bring joy to my daily life. My back pain story "From a young age I've always worked in very physical jobs and from a young age I suffered with lower back pain. The pain got worse over the years and I managed with painkillers and physio. In 2017 my back finally gave out on me when my L4 and L5 discs herniated severely and left me with Cauda Equina which is a major problem. I was taken by ambulance to Southampton Hospital for decompression surgery and a MicroDisectomy on my vertabrae" "6 months later I was undergoing physiotherapy and having epidurals to help with the intense pain I was having. I was unable to work, which affected my self esteem, and I struggled to bend down and lift my two young daughters." My recovery "I started hydrotherapy at Poole hospital, beginning with one session a week and then increasing to two sessions per week. I always felt the sessions at the pool really helped me, and it was something I actually enjoyed. Being in the water helped my mental well being as well as feeling better physically. Within a few months I was back at work" "Unfortunately, the same back problem recurred and I was told that spinal surgery was the only real fix. During this time I also suffered with major issues with my Thyroid. The combination of all of these things affected my mental health and I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorder and I underwent counselling and mindfulness sessions. Throughout this time my back pain continued and it was clear that surgery was my only option" "In January 2019 I underwent an extremely painful multi-level spinal fusion where the offending discs were removed and titanium spacers, cages, rods and screws inserted to hold me all together! The surgery was a success and has helped to greatly reduce the pain I feel on a day-to-day basis."
In this article one of our customers, Julie, talks about how Stuart and the fabulous team at Starfish Hydrotherapy Pool has helped to improve the quality of life for her daughter Beth who suffers from a condition called 22q11 . I first contacted the team at Starfish Hydrotherapy Pool last summer after Beth’s spinal specialist and heart specialist suggested hydro-physio would be very beneficial for her. She has a condition called 22q11 which has caused multiple problems for her. She has a heart condition, for which she has had to undergo multiple surgeries. She also has a double curvature to spine which she had major surgery on 2 years ago making her now a partly bionic woman! Both of these problems are ongoing for her. Along with these issues she also has a delay in her learning along with confidence and trust issues and chronic fatigue. The spinal surgery had a massive impact on her physically and mentally so we wanted to try and give her some stability back to her life. What a blessing for us we did contact them and met Stuart. Beth has been having one to one hydrotherapy sessions with him since October last year and they have been the making of her. We chose one to one because of Beth’s confidence around a lot of people and her trust issues and also because of her understanding of instructions. Stuart has built up Beth’s trust over the months, which is a real achievement believe me, he even gets the odd bit of funny cheekiness from her now which to me is amazing. He takes the time to explain everything to her clearly and practically and takes into account how she is feeling each week and adapts to that. He is extremely good at listening to her, no matter what she is saying as she does tend to chatter on sometimes. One major thing that stands out to me is Stuart talks directly to Beth, in many other situations the adult always turns to me rather than Beth because it’s easier, this is why her sessions are working and I’m very thankful for. Physically we are definitely seeing an improvement, I never thought I would see Beth lift weights and put her arms above her head. Her confidence is growing in the water and she is so positive when we are at the pool. Because of her immune issues it’s also important for Beth that the pool and changing rooms are clean, and the pool is always spotless! I can always contact them if Beth not up to her session and they always reply immediately and it’s never a problem. The whole team are always very respectful and helpful and I would highly recommend the pool to everyone. We will definitely be continuing with Beth’s sessions with Stuart for the foreseeable future and look forward to seeing her keep improving. If you'd like to find out more about our open Hydrotherapy sessions at Starfish Hydrotherapy Pool in Chippenham, Wyvern Hydrotherapy Pool in Weymouth or Stourview Hydrotherapy Pool you can find details of how to contact our team here. You can try your first hydrotherapy session for FREE using the code HYDRO2 when booking online.
Access to Hydrotherapy can be patchy on the NHS. Facilities are not readily available in many locations and it's still seen as an alternative therapy. Despite being proven to help improve symptoms in a wide range of conditions, and even improve patients mental health the treatment is often overlooked in favour of more traditional therapies. In this article one of our customers, Lesley Earp , who suffered a life changing spinal cord injury, writes about how she fell through the cracks of NHS treatment and how finding the Starfish Hydrotherapy Pool in Chippenham inproved her quality of life. I suffered a spinal cord injury, C5 and C6, which initially paralysed both legs and my left arm. A cage was placed in my neck to stabilise my spine. I kept collapsing and eventually had a pacemaker inserted, this was the probable cause of my collapse which caused the injury. The physiotherapist at the Royal United Hospital, Bath, was wonderful and he managed to get me up and walking in a month, I was discharged after 7 weeks. Although I was on the waitlist for the Salisbury Spinal Unit I was discharged before a bed became available for me there. I had been given some physiotherapy in Melksham Hospital but frankly they had no experience with spinal cord injuries and were frightened to deal with me. Finally they refused to treat me unless my doctor gave them a set of parameters to work in – no reply was received from the surgery and treatment ceased! While waiting in the physiotherapy department in Melksham I had noticed a leaflet about the Starfish Hydrotherapy Pool in Chippenham. I had discussed with them the possibility of swimming, but no one mentioned the availability of this facility. My neighbour (who also suffers from spinal problems) and I paid a visit to the pool and were made most welcome by the staff who explained the facilities available. The pool was heated to a higher temperature than normal pools and they could produce a tailor made programme of exercises following an assessment of each individuals needs. We duly joined one of the open sessions and thoroughly enjoyed it, both finding it beneficial. I decided that I would take the package including a programme of exercises. That was nearly two years ago and I am now on my fifth set of exercises. I find that they are so beneficial and have helped me enormously during my recovery period. It is always so reassuring that there is always help on hand, should it be required. Also, if it's noticed that I am not doing the exercises in quite the correct way it is pointed out to me. I am absolutely sure that my weekly session over this period has strengthened my body, in particular my legs, and also helped with balance problems. I really do not know how I would have managed to exercise and regain some strength if it were not for the Starfish Hydrotherapy pool and the excellent staff. I have written an article for the Spinal Injuries Association about my difficulty in finding help after my discharge from hospital since the NHS provided very little after care, help or advice. There is no source that appears to have a list of facilities/organisations that can assist those with physical injuries and it was only by chance that I found the Neptune Aquatics pool in Chippenham. If you'd like to find out more about our open Hydrotherapy sessions at Starfish Hydrotherapy Pool in Chippenham, or Wyvern Hydrotherapy Pool in Weymouth you can find details of how to contact our team here. You can try your first hydrotherapy session for FREE using the code HYDRO2 when booking online.
