Stay Healthy, Visit Your Local Health Care Clinic

Posted on: 28 June 2019

If you're caring for someone who has had a stroke, then they may need physio treatment to regain lost skills and mobility. Post-stroke physiotherapy is beneficial; however, it can be hard for people who have been affected by a stroke to fully engage in their treatment, especially if they are older.

A course of aquatic physiotherapy may be easier. How does this kind of physio work, and what are its benefits for stroke victims?

What Is Aquatic Physiotherapy?

Aquatic physiotherapy takes place in a pool. Led by a qualified physiotherapist, this kind of therapy is generally similar to regular physio. The patient is taken through various exercises and activities that have been adapted to work in water. The pool environment enhances the treatment program.

For example, if a stroke victim is having problems walking, then they may be encouraged to walk in the water. If they have lost mobility in an arm and have weak muscles in the area, then they will do stretches and exercises that promote and build better mobility.

What Are the Benefits of Aquatic Physiotherapy?

People who are left with physical problems after a stroke often lose confidence. It can take time to rebuild mobility, muscle strength, motor control and endurance. While regular physiotherapy helps with all these issues, water-based therapy may be easier to deal with.

For example, people often feel safer doing rehabilitation exercises in water. They won't have to worry about losing their balance or even falling — the water holds them up and acts as a cushion. Their physio is also there to actively support them.

They may also gain confidence more quickly in the pool. Water takes some of a patient's weight during physio sessions. This may help them make progress more quickly. If the water is taking some of the strain, they may find it easier to move their bodies and to complete their exercises. This can help deal with some of the normal frustrations stroke victims have as they work to get back to normal.

Doing physiotherapy in water also helps build strength quickly. Stroke victims may master basic exercises and activities quickly but ramping up to the next levels to build strength and endurance may be harder. When people exercise in a pool, the water creates a natural resistance that may make this easier to achieve.

To learn more about how physiotherapy works, contact clinics with staff who have been trained in this field.