Hydrotherapy
Exercise in warm water, where buoyancy carries the load your joints can't yet.
What it involves
Hydrotherapy, or aquatic physiotherapy, is guided exercise in a warm pool. Buoyancy reduces the weight going through painful joints, the warmth relaxes guarded muscles, and water resistance lets you strengthen without impact. Sessions are structured like any physio program: specific movements, specific doses, progressed over time.
What it is commonly used for
- Rehabilitation after joint replacement or other surgery, before full weight-bearing is comfortable.
- Arthritis and chronic joint pain, where land exercise flares symptoms.
- Building strength and balance for people anxious about falling.
- Early-stage rehab for athletes, keeping capacity while an injury settles.
Where it fits
Hydrotherapy is usually a stage, not a destination: the goal is transferring the gains to land through exercise therapy as tolerance improves. Whether it suits you, and how soon after surgery you can start, are assessment questions your physiotherapist answers against your situation.
General information, not a diagnosis: whether this treatment suits you is decided at your own assessment with a registered physiotherapist.