Why water works: 4 hydrotherapy health benefits

Using water for the relief and treatment of pain and discomfort is nothing new. People have been using hydrotherapy (or water cure) for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

Today, health professionals including physiotherapists and exercise physiologists regularly include hydrotherapy in client treatment programs.

But what are the specific health and wellbeing benefits of hydrotherapy?

1. Relaxes and rehabilitates injured muscles
When you immerse yourself in hot water, your muscles relax and your body temperature rises. The increase in temperature also increases blood flow and improves circulation, and this can help to heal injured tissues and rehabilitate damaged muscles or joints.

2. Helps boost immunity
Hydrotherapy increases the circulation of white blood cells around the body, allowing lymph (an immune system fluid that helps get rid of unwanted materials from the body) to be moved through the body more efficiently, effectively ‘cleansing’ us. Coupled with the immune boosting effects of exercise, you will be giving your body the edge over winter colds and viruses.

3. Can reduce stress and pain
Warm water hydrotherapy has been used to calm and soothe for centuries. However, studies have also shown that hydrotherapy increases the release of endorphins in the body – natural anxiety and stress busters. Endorphins also act as a natural pain reliever to further reduce muscle soreness.

4. Allows those who struggle to exercise on land to stay active
It’s a lot harder to fall over in the water, so hydrotherapy pool-based exercise is great for those who are a little unsteady on their feet. The weightlessness you feel when under water helps relieve tension in the limbs, supports aching muscles, and gives you greater joint mobility – all of which allows you to move more freely than you would on dry land.

Connect Health & Community in Bentleigh East has an onsite hydrotherapy pool, which is used by our physiotherapists and exercise physiologists for individual and group therapy sessions.

If you’re struggling with pain, mobility and flexibility issues or you’re experiencing problems with balance and coordination, call 03 9575 5333 to find out how hydrotherapy can help you on your way to recovery.