Hydrotherapy, or water-based therapy, is the practice of using water to treat a variety of symptoms in the body. Unlike regular swimming pools, hydrotherapy pools are set at warm temperatures, which aids with therapy, rehabilitation, exercise, relaxation and more. It’s a great form of physical therapy for people who have multiple sclerosis.
Here are six benefits hydrotherapy can offer people living with MS:
1. PAIN RELIEF
When submerged in water, the body experiences buoyancy – the force that enables you to float – which reduces the effects of gravity. This buoyancy supports the body and reduces the pressure on joints and muscles, alleviating pain.
2. IMPROVED MOBILITY
With water’s buoyancy offsetting body weight and helping support limbs, it makes movements easier and less strenuous and can also enhance mobility and range of motion. It can help you bend, stretch, and move in ways that may be risky or more difficult in other environments. Water also provides resistance when doing exercise, therefore improving your strength.
3. MUSCLE RELAXATION
Like stepping into a warm bath! The warmth of water can relax muscles, relieve muscle spasms – common symptoms of MS for some – and eases joint pain, making exercise more comfortable.
4. BALANCE AND COORDINATION
Water supports the body and allows people to practice movements without the same risk as on land. Hydrotherapy pools often have aids such as railings and steps that can assist people with getting in and out of the pool and practicing balance exercises safely. In a nutshell, hydrotherapy offers a supportive environment where people can perform targeted exercises using water’s properties to improve or enhance physical stability and control and therefore fostering better balance and coordination.
5. PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS
Water is known for its calming properties. Immersion in warm water promotes relaxation by reducing stress hormones, like cortisol. It also promotes the release of endorphins, which simply put are happy hormones, which can enhance your mood and combat symptoms of depression.
6. FRIENDSHIP AND SUPPORT
Group hydrotherapy sessions provide great opportunities for socialisation and support from peers, which can combat feelings of isolation and overall mental health. You’ll have the opportunity to form connections with new, like-minded friends.
These sessions can be lots of fun, too! The MS Hydrotherapy Group at Klemzig, Adelaide, holds an annual Hydro Cup, a tradition which began in 2022 in celebration of the Melbourne Cup. Competing in teams, participants race each other on pool noodles as part of their exercises with MS Society physiotherapist, Margot. The goal? Emerging victorious and holding the prized trophy at the end.
Margot says the classes are about creating an “enjoyable environment where clients can have fun, engage socially and support each other while still working towards their health goals”. “There’s lots of fun and laughs along the way,” Margot says.
In fact, you could say there’s plenty of horsing around!
The MS Society runs weekly hydrotherapy sessions led by our experienced physiotherapists. All participants require a physiotherapy assessment before their first class. Register your interest by phoning MS Assist on 1800 812 311 or emailing msassist@ms.asn.au