Tom is my delightful step-son, but I have also had the pleasure of being his physiotherapist when he was younger. He always worked really hard on his physio exercises and continues at home now with remote sessions. You can see from these photos how he enjoys some of his physio in his hot tub!
In recent years, alongside his Adult Physio Programme, we have introduced exercises that he can do in his hot-tub at home, as hydrotherapy pools are very difficult to access. Many have closed since the start of the pandemic, and visiting a public pool is not always suitable from an access point of view or infection control standards.
I am now in the process of developing a brand new aquatic physiotherapy service suitable for use in your hot-tub or pool at home. This can be a unique and fun way to improve your function in a safe environment supported by the water.
The benefits of exercise in warm water are many, and hot tubs are more accessible to more people now, especially since staying at home more.
Typical benefits of a water-based programme include:
- Decreased pain from the warmth of the water
- Normalised tone as muscles relax
- Increased strength using buoyancy to assist movement
- Increased functional activity and balance in standing
- Relaxation and mental health support
- Mobilising stiff joints which is difficult on the land
- Increasing the ability to weight-bear without the effects of gravity making it hard work
