Hydrotherapy, otherwise known as aquatic therapy, is a form of treatment that involves submerging the person in the water. It is used to treat a variety of problems from body pains to depression. Depending on the illness being treated, hot or cold water – with or without jets – can be used. Therapists may carry out the treatment in a rehabilitation facility or the patient’s home.

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Physiological and
Psychological Effects of
Hydrotherapy

2. Hydrotherapy, otherwise known as aquatic therapy, is a form of treatment that involves submerging
the person in the water. It is used to treat a variety of problems from body pains to depression.
Depending on the illness being treated, hot or cold water – with or without jets – can be used.
Therapists may carry out the treatment in a rehabilitation facility or the patient’s home.
For people who are unable to move or have difficulty doing so, their families or therapists can
arrange for installing walk-in bathtubs in their homes.
Effects on the Body and Mind
Studies conducted on hydrotherapy have convinced some therapists that it is a valid form of
treatment for certain diagnoses. The reason is that hydrotherapy utilizes the body’s natural reaction
to water to achieve positive results for the muscles and the mind. Some of the effects discovered in
research were:
 Pain relief – The weightlessness one feels underwater causes the release of endorphins, which
act as the body’s natural pain reliever, consequently relieving muscle tension.
 Relaxation – The water’s buoyancy helps the body relax as it floats. Simply soaking in warm
water also releases dopamine in the brain.

3.  Improves organ function – Hydrotherapy can stimulate the blood supply, allowing the internal
organs to function more efficiently.
 Physical rehabilitation – Performing physical therapy in the water helps improve a patient’s
condition, especially those who have limited mobility in their limbs.
What Hydrotherapy can Treat
While more research is needed to understand completely how hydrotherapy works as a form of
treatment, it is already being used all over the world to treat different conditions such as:
 Arthritis
 Depression
 Joint/muscle pain

4.  Insomnia
 Spinal cord injury
Hydrotherapy is not a new form of treatment. It has been used since ancient times as a form of
natural medicine, but the mechanics of aquatic therapy was still unclear to most at that time.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4049052/
http://www.ascentmobility.com/accessible-bathrooms/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/inner-source/201407/cold-splash-hydrotherapy-depression-
and-anxiety