The Healing Power of Water: Dive into Clinical Applications of Hydrotherapy
Get answers to your most common questions in this complete guide to hydrotherapy. Why are clinicians using hydrotherapy? What conditions is hydrotherapy good for? What is the science of underwater treadmill hydrotherapy?
Hydrotherapy for Medical Practices 101
Hydrotherapy is a versatile rehabilitation tool that is widely used in physical therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic care, and sports medicine.
- Buoyancy reduces pressure on joints enabling patients of every mobility level to experience increased mobility. This also makes hydrotherapy a preferred treatment for patients who are a potential fall risk.
- Hydrostatic pressure exerts uniform pressure on the body, which can improve circulation and reduce swelling.
- Viscosity provides natural resistance and can be combined with weights and other tools to increase the difficulty of strength training workouts.
- Thermal properties enable therapists to deliver both hot and cold treatments based on patient needs.
Hydrotherapy offers several key patient benefits, including:
- Pain relief for sore muscles, muscles in spasm, and joints.
- Improved circulation that can accelerate recovery after sport, injury, or surgery and can reduce swelling.
- Reduced joint stress makes it easier for patients of every mobility level to perform exercises.
- Muscle relaxation from warm water therapy reduces muscle tension.
- Enhanced range of motion enabled by the properties of water can increase flexibility.
- Strength and endurance can be improved by leveraging water resistance for muscle conditioning workouts.
- Water can promote mental well-being and provide a fun way for patients to rehab, recover, or condition.
In recent years, innovations in underwater treadmills have made hydrotherapy accessible to medical practices of every size. Often, large clinics or athletic training facilities have both pools and underwater treadmills to increase the versatility of their hydrotherapy programs. Underwater treadmills offer increased versatility with features such as jets, adjustable treadmill speed, easily controlled water temperature adjustments, and variable water depths.
This comprehensive guide will take a deep dive into underwater treadmill technology and its clinical applications for athletes, seniors, injury recovery, arthritic patients, rehabilitation, sports medicine, and weight loss. The guide also reviews how to get started building underwater treadmill workouts, and factors to consider when choosing the right underwater treadmill for your practice.
Underwater Treadmill Benefits
Underwater treadmills offer a compact solution to treat a wide variety of patients. Their small footprint and versatile applications have made them popular across many medical specialties. The three primary uses of underwater treadmills are:
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
The properties of water make underwater treadmills a preferred modality for post-surgical exercise and for non-surgical degenerative conditions such as arthritis. - Athletic training and conditioning
Underwater treadmills provide a low-impact environment to build muscle and cardiovascular endurance. The properties of water can also support athletes who are trying to continue conditioning during times of injury. Hydrotherapy workouts are fun for athletes and effective for achieving conditioning goals. - Physical exercise
Underwater treadmills provide a low-impact and comfortable environment for patients of all ages to work out.
Unlike large pools that require significant space and construction, underwater treadmills have compact tank systems and are now small enough to be installed in practices of every size without the need for construction projects or special entryways.
In addition to providing significant patient benefits, underwater treadmills offer benefits to practices too:
- Patients can often accomplish more during manual therapy sessions after they’ve spent time increasing their range of motion and flexibility in the underwater treadmill.
- Underwater treadmills enable practices to offer a more comprehensive service offering including strength and conditioning and exercise programs for elderly patients.
- Underwater treadmills can drive cash-pay services.
- Because of their versatile applications, they are easy to put to use in everyday practice.
- Many referring clinicians prefer to refer patients who need physical rehabilitation to a practice that uses hydrotherapy.
In addition to increasing mobility and function, underwater treadmill therapy can also provide patients with mental benefits. Many patients find water-based exercises relaxing and fun, which can reduce stress, increase energy levels, and improve overall mood and well-being.
Underwater Treadmill Benefits for Specific Patient Populations
Athletes
Strength and conditioning, accelerated recovery
Athletic trainers are power users of hydrotherapy. Underwater treadmills enable versatility to support athletes who are recovering from injury or activity, enable therapists to isolate key muscle groups for strength and conditioning, and can support endurance training.
Water provides natural resistance, which can be enhanced by increasing water depth, adding jets, and adjusting treadmill speeds. Athletic trainers often also add weights, bands, and other assistive devices to create challenging hydrotherapy workouts.
H2O For Fitness underwater treadmills have glass on all 4 sides, providing athletic trainers with a 360-degree view of their athlete. This enables them to provide coaching and observe gait and movement.
Hydrotherapy can improve circulation and increase flexibility and range of motion, which are crucial for both conditioning and recovery.
Seniors
Improved mobility, reduced risk of falls
Occupational therapists and physical therapists who work with aging patients find great utility from hydrotherapy in underwater treadmills. Underwater treadmills are typically easier for geriatric patients to enter and exit than pools.
Underwater treadmills provide a safe place to rehabilitate from injury or improve muscle strength without the fall risk that on-land activities can present. Therapists can adjust water temperature, depth, and treadmill speed to achieve the specific goals of each patient.
Older patients often find hydrotherapy sessions enjoyable. This can help improve confidence and mood when working with older patients.
Injury recovery
Faster healing, reduced pain
Hydrotherapy can help injured patients with early mobilization to prevent joint stiffness or muscle atrophy, especially after joint replacements or significant musculoskeletal repairs. The warm water can help with pain management, reduced swelling, and increased range of motion. Therapists protect damaged skin with water-proof coverings prior to entering the underwater treadmill.
Depending on the nature of the recovery, hydrotherapy can also help patients regain balance and coordination in a safe environment that mitigates fall risks.
Adjusting jets, water depth, and treadmill speed can gradually increase resistance as recovering patients gain strength and confidence.
Read more about the role of underwater treadmills for rehabilitation and injury recovery.
Arthritis sufferers
Pain relief, improved joint function
The soothing warm water can provide relief for arthritic patients. The buoyancy reduces the impact on painful joints and provides a comfortable place to strengthen muscles and exercise. Underwater treadmills can improve cardiovascular health by providing a safe place for arthritic patients to exercise. Weight loss facilitated by the underwater treadmill can reduce joint strain on land and support overall wellness for this prevalent patient population.
Hydrotherapy can also improve proprioception, resulting in better joint stability and increased coordination. Therapists can adapt exercises to water to achieve patient-specific goals.
Physical therapy patients
Comfortable rehabilitation, increased range of motion
Whether patients are in physical therapy to improve muscle strength, rehabilitate from an injury, manage chronic pain or a neurological condition, or engage in preventive care, hydrotherapy can help them achieve their goals. Manual exercises done on land can be adapted to water to provide a more comfortable environment for patients to mobilize painful joints. Starting with hydrotherapy sessions can help improve flexibility and range of motion, enabling patients to accomplish more in their physical therapy sessions.
Underwater treadmills offer an accessible way for physical therapy clinics of every size to provide the pain-relieving power of hydrotherapy.
Performance
Strength and conditioning
Hydrotherapy exercises in the underwater treadmill can be adapted to meet specific strength and conditioning goals. Deep water, high jet resistance, and fast treadmill belt speeds can be combined with weights and other assistive tools to create challenging workouts.
Specific muscle groups can be targeted to produce outcomes in a low-impact environment. These programs are especially useful for injured patients who need to continue strength and conditioning programs while they recover from injury.
Get more tips about why you should use underwater treadmill for training and conditioning.
Weight loss
A safe exercise environment
Underwater treadmills provide a safe and comfortable exercise environment for patients with compromised joints or who cannot safely and comfortably exercise on land. Weight loss reduces strain on joints and can provide pain relief for aging patients and those with arthritis or other musculoskeletal conditions.
Exercises can be easily adapted to each patient, making it a relevant tool for everyone.
Getting Started Developing Underwater Treadmill Workouts
Underwater treadmill workouts can be gentle or challenging depending on the specific needs of your patient or athlete. Here are a few considerations when developing your first hydrotherapy exercise routines:
- Basic exercises
Hydrotherapy can be used for basic exercise, including walking, jogging, running, and resistance training. These workouts can support foundational wellness, weight loss, or strength and conditioning programs for athletes or patients with aggressive fitness goals. - Personalized fitness programs
Use hydrotherapy to add fitness programs to your clinic. Before developing individualized programs, consider patient fitness level, goals, and any physical limitations. Combine assistive devices such as pool noodles, weight belts, or ankle and wrist weights, balls, and other water toys to create fun and engaging workouts. - Weights
Adding medicine balls, weight vests, weight belts, or wrist and ankle weights can make exercises more challenging. - Water Depth
Deeper water can add resistance to exercises making them more difficult when combined with jets and treadmill belt speeds. - Buoyancy
Pool noodles and buoyant safety vets can be used to increase buoyancy. - Gradual Progression
Like with any workout routine, it’s important to gradually build up to challenging workouts. - Jets
Use jets to increase resistance to level up the difficulty of workouts. - Speed
The underwater treadmill belt speed can be adjusted to make workouts more challenging.
Get more tips on how to maximize your aquatic workout with an underwater treadmill here.
Choosing the Right Underwater Treadmill
Underwater treadmills no longer require costly construction projects or large clinic footprints. The Mirage NEO and Mirage PRO both fit through standard-sized doors and can be installed without major clinic modifications. Here are some considerations to keep in mind when choosing the right underwater treadmill for your practice:
- Footprint
This is often the most important consideration for practices. How much room will the underwater treadmill take up? The Mirage NEO is an ideal solution for extremely small spaces, taking up only 75 square feet. - Water Depth
Ideally, your underwater treadmill will have adjustable water depths to make exercising in water easier or more challenging depending on the person’s fitness level and needs. - Maintenance
Belts that lift vertically, like in the Mirage NEO and Mirage PRO, enable easy cleaning for personnel of every size and strength level. Make sure you understand the ongoing maintenance needs of your underwater treadmill and ensure that maintenance is easy to perform based on the design of your underwater treadmill. - Incline
Underwater treadmills like the Mirage PRO have the capability to incline maximizing treatment customization. The belt also moves forward and backward both in water and without water if desired. - Speed
Make sure your underwater treadmill has variable speeds that adjust in small increments. This will give you the versatility you need to treat both athletes and geriatric patients. The Mirage NEO and Mirage PRO are both adjustable from 0.5 to 5 miles per hour in 0.1 increments. - Water Temperature Control
Warm water is crucial to many hydrotherapy treatments. Make sure your underwater treadmill has the ability to modify the temperature according to your comfort level. - Ease of Use
Some underwater treadmills, like the Mirage NEO and Mirage PRO have programmable touch screens to make it easier to save and recall your most frequently used settings. - Storage Tank Requirements
Find out if your underwater treadmill requires a separate water storage tank.. Some units, like the Mirage NEO come equipped with a dual chamber, eliminating the need for a free-standing water reservoir. - Warranty and Support
All H2O For Fitness underwater treadmills come with professional installation, a 3-year warranty, and access to support when you need it.
H2O For Fitness is leading the way in all-in-one underwater treadmill systems to make hydrotherapy accessible to all. Whether you are in a 1,000-square-foot one-doctor practice or are in a large multi-doctor practice, H2O has an aquatic therapy solution for you. Learn more about the benefits of using an all-in-one underwater treadmill system.
Noteworthy Underwater Treadmill Research
- Acute aquatic treadmill exercise improves gait and pain in people with knee osteoarthritis
- High-intensity interval training on an aquatic treadmill in adults with osteoarthritis: effect on pain, balance, function, and mobility
- Effect of underwater treadmill gait training with water-jet resistance on balance and gait ability in patients with chronic stroke: a randomized controlled pilot trial
Add Hydrotherapy to Your Practice with a H2O for Fitness Underwater Treadmill
The H2O for Fitness team has over 75 years of manufacturing and industry experience in the field of hydrotherapy. Our team looks forward to helping you find the right underwater treadmill for your practice, fitness center, or home.