Hydrotherapy (aquatics therapy) can ease arthritis symptoms through the exercises done inside the indoor pool. This mode of rehabilitation is especially suitable for post-fracture and post-surgical recovery. With a fracture, once you have been in a cast/cam boot, your muscles, bones, and joints will feel weak, painful, or swollen. Hydrotherapy will allow you to start your strengthening exercises in a semi-weight-free environment.

This mode of treatment is suitable for rehabilitation for injuries from work. 

In this blog, we will outline: 

• Aquatic rehabilitation

• Its evidence on effects

• How workers can access this mode of treatment under the WorkCover scheme?

Aquatic rehabilitation

Jobs that involve manual handling, heavy lifting, and carrying, are hard on the back and knee. The weight-bearing joints are subject to inflammation and stiffness because of loading. In the case of acute injuries, patients are often unable to walk, bend, or function. In this case, hydrotherapy is our suggested method of rehabilitation. Hydrotherapy allows you to conduct therapeutic exercises under buoyancy, thus helping with pain relief.

Evidence has shown that after 12 weeks of exercising inside the hydrotherapy pool twice a week:

• Increases the strength of muscles 

• Increased range of movement in joints

• Improve cardiovascular fitness

• Pain reduction

• Improvement of function.

• A much higher chance for injured personnel to return to work (pre-injury duties).

Hydrotherapy also helps people who find it difficult to relax or feel anxious. Getting into the water up to your chest relaxes your nervous system. Hydrostatic pressure helps to push blood to your trunk from your lower extremities. You will be more relaxed as the hydrostatic pressure mitigates your sympathetic nervous system.

How to have access to hydrotherapy?

You can expect significant improvements both to your physical and psychological function with hydrotherapy. We encourage injured workers with injuries to their knees and back to start hydrotherapy.

If you've suffered a workplace injury and would like to start hydrotherapy with us, we require the following details:

• WorkCover certificate

• Claim number

We also encourage companies, WorkCover insurers, and rehabilitation consultants to get in contact with us.