About Hydrotherapy

Water buoyancy provides a great partial-weight-bearing environment for patients to perform their therapeutic exercises. Hydrotherapy is especially good for patients who have difficulty exercising on land, have persistent pain, or simply enjoy being in the water.

Hydrotherapy exercises utilise the buoyancy of the water (floating properties). Your body weight is reduced by up to 90% in the water, making exercising very effective in improving mobility and strength. Moreover, you will not have to worry about falling over, which makes it the perfect place to practise your balance improvement exercises!

There is full access available for wheelchair users or those with reduced mobility our pools are also designed so non-swimmers can access the water.

Our Pool – Exceptional care and techniques in a world class facility

Our hydrotherapy sessions are normally conducted at Mission Beach Hydrotherapy Centre.

This is a world class, fully heated, year-round facility utilising a sloping floor for ease of exercise progression.

Access is via a ramp and rails and even an aquatic wheelchair and hoist if required, making the pool easily accessible for reduced mobility, crutch and wheelchair users.

The design even allows for non-swimmers to access and feel safe in the water.

Conditions Treated

You may benefit from hydrotherapy if you suffer from any of the following conditions: 

• Chronic back pain
• Osteoarthritis
  • Hip
  • Knee
  • Ankle
  • Shoulder
  • Back
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Impaired balance and risk of falling
• Cardiovascular or pulmonary conditions
• Post-operative Rehabilitation:
  • Total knee replacement
  • Total hip replacement
  • Total shoulder replacement
  • Post ACL reconstruction
  • Post knee arthroscopy
  • Post meniscal repair
  • Post-ankle reconstruction
• Overweight: Low weight-bearing exercise may start you on as after level of activity to encourage weight loss

1 to 1 Hydrotherapy Sessions

If you can swim and have no open wounds you can normally participate in hydrotherapy. If you are unsure, please check with your GP or surgeon if you have any concerns about exercising in the swimming pool.

The hydrotherapy sessions are normally conducted at Mission Beach Hydrotherapy Centre. This is a world class, heated, year-round facility utilising a sloping floor for ease of exercise progression.

At Mission Beach there is also a ramp and rails and even a hoist if required, making the pool easily accessible.

We also conduct sessions at Tully Pool or Cardwell Pool,  weather and patient depending as these pools are not heated and access to the water is only by stairs.

New clients are initially assessed in the clinic to ensure that hydrotherapy is a suitable treatment option. Your physiotherapist will then customise the best hydrotherapy program for you and confirm that you are safe to exercise in the pool. If hydrotherapy is suitable, your next session will be conducted at the pool.

Often patients will undertake an individualised program initially before eventually joining out Hydrotherapy group class.

Hydrotherapy Group Class

If you struggle to exercise effectively on land due to pain, poor balance or weakness then hydrotherapy is for you.

Hydrotherapy is a specifically designed rehab based class conducted in the specially heated swimming pool at Mission Beach by one of our experienced physiotherapists.

The benefits of water exercise include:

• Warm water relieves muscle tension. The Mission Beach pool is a lovely 30 degrees all year round enhancing your ability to move your limbs through a greater range
• Water pressure reduces swelling
• The resistance the water provides is seven times greater than air and can be used to gently strengthen your muscles
• The absence of gravity assists in improving your ability to walk and move freely because at neck level, 90% of your weight is supported. Buoyancy is especially important for people who can’t take their whole body weight whether that be due to pain, discomfort or to surgery
• With the right exercises, the water can provide a challenging environment for high-level balance. As the water is a safe environment for exercise, anyone with compromised balance or a risk of falls are able to participate in regular exercise through hydrotherapy.

The facility at Mission Beach allows ramp and handrail entry as well as a shallow depth ensuring the classes are accessible to even non swimmers

Aqua Physio Strength, Stretch and Control

Please note that this class is an exercise class, rather than a hydrotherapy rehab class

If your traditional mat workout is no longer doing it for you, Aqua Pilates is a new form of exercise that is taking the world by storm. These simple, but effective, workouts really do strengthen your core and upper back postural muscles.

Pilates has found additional benefits by adapting their traditional practice to the zero-gravity feel of an aquatic environment. Taking these exercises into the water increases their effectiveness and that will have a huge effect on your workout.

The additional benefit is that nearly anyone can do Aqua Pilates. The exercise is appropriate for post-rehab patients, pregnant women, the overweight and those with chronic illnesses or injuries. It also increases strength for people suffering from joint stress, limited mobility or muscle fatigue. People who have osteoporosis or other fracture risks can do Aqua SSC safely in the pool because the water acts as a cushion for the body and because of the sloping floor at Mission Beach’s world class hydrotherapy Centre, you are in control of the resistance and amount of weight you bear by choosing your own depth in the water.

Cassowary Coast Physiotherapy offer the Aqua Physio Strength Stretch and Control classes which are loosely based on an Aqua Pilates platform in both standard and advanced classes.