What is spa?

Spa is a physical therapy performed in a swimming pool or other aquatic environment under the supervision of a trained health care professional. Spa is also called spa, water rehabilitation, spa, pool therapy, therapeutic water sports or spa.

In the United States, people who can perform water therapy are legally regulated medical professionals with the correct scope of practice and the ability to use the current program terminology (CPT) code of the American Medical Association (AMA). Water therapy is considered an additional certification for physiotherapists and sports coaches who often work closely with occupational therapists and sports physiologists to develop care plans for each client.

The common objectives of the spa project include:

Improve flexibility

Improve balance and coordination

Enhance muscle strength and endurance

Enhance aerobic capacity

Assist in gait and movement

Reduce stress and promote relaxation

Water therapy is different from water sports or water fitness because it is a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialty, requires the participation of trained professionals, and is insured by many insurance companies due to the personalized nature of treatment. Water sports do not require the supervision of trained professionals. It is also not covered by insurance. It usually occurs in a group environment including multiple people with different levels of physical health.

Water therapy should not be confused with adaptive water sports. Adaptive water sports is the process of teaching disabled people how to swim safely in the water. The focus of water therapy is not to teach clients how to swim.

Spa services are generally provided in hospitals, sports medicine clinics and traditional outpatient rehabilitation centers. The elderly living center can also provide water therapy services to encourage residents to maintain or improve their health, balance and strength.

History of water therapy

Hydrotherapy has been used worldwide for thousands of years. Consider the following examples:

The ancient Greeks and Romans took hot springs to promote blood circulation and relaxation.

Hippocrates suggested bathing with spring water to treat the disease.

It is well known that Swiss monks use hot water to treat patients or persons with disabilities in the community.

It is said that Japanese hot springs have medicinal effects, including treating chronic pain, treating skin problems, treating menstrual disorders and relieving constipation.

German doctors believe in pediatric hydrotherapy. In the 1960s and 1970s, water delivery was very popular throughout Germany.

Here are some ways in which the natural properties of water create an ideal therapeutic environment:

Warm water provides a relaxing and soothing environment for painful joints and muscles.

The natural viscosity or resistance of water can be used to strengthen muscles and promote the rehabilitation process.

Buoyancy allows floating and reduces the impact of gravity on injured or painful joints and muscles.

Hydrostatic pressure supports and stabilizes customers, allowing people with balance defects to exercise without having to worry about falls, reduce pain and improve cardiovascular recovery.

Turbulence and wave propagation allow the therapist to gently manipulate the client through the required exercises.

The respiratory muscles are forced to work harder in the water, so that they can be naturally strengthened for a long time after the treatment, which benefits the customer.

Compared with other forms of physical therapy, water therapy has higher customer compliance and less pain throughout the recovery process. The opportunity to significantly reduce the pain experienced by customers should be taken seriously, because the less pain, customers can enjoy a higher quality of life.

Another important advantage of water therapy is that it can usually start before land therapy. For athletes who want to re compete, or busy professionals who want to recover from surgery as soon as possible, this makes water-based planning a natural choice.

To view the latest research on the benefits of water therapy, please visit our research page.

A condition that can be improved by hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy may help customers with the following diseases:

arthritis

Arthroscopic surgery recovery

autism

Balance disorder

Bursitis

cerebral palsy

Chronic pain

depressed

Idiopathic arthralgia

Joint reconstruction and surgical recovery

Recovery of joint replacement

lumbago

Osteoarthritis

Orthopedic injury

Parkinson’s disease

Multiple sclerosis

Rheumatoid arthritis

Scoliosis

pressure

Spinal cord injury

sprains and strains

apoplexy

Tendinitis

Traumatic brain injury

Spa benefits are available to people of all ages, including children and the elderly with special needs. A trained therapist can create a session that takes into account any age-related physical limitations to promote a positive treatment experience.

Our video library provides a large number of case studies illustrating various applications of aquatic therapy. These videos illustrate the key role of hydrotherapy in promoting health.

Safety of water sports program

Although spas are usually performed in fairly shallow pools, they are not without risk. In order to provide a safe environment for customers, Spa Practitioners should receive training in first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, oxygen management, automatic external defibrillation, blood borne pathogens and risk awareness (check local regulations for actual requirements).

The client’s suitability for water therapy should be determined on a case by case basis. In some cases, spa may not be an appropriate treatment process:

High fever

Open wound (unless covered with biological closure dressing)

incontinence

Uncontrolled epilepsy

COPD or other similar respiratory problems

Currently taking drugs that may change cognition

The client is currently pregnant and has complications

Chlorine or bromine allergy

Serious fear of water

Hepatitis A customers

Help customers feel comfortable in the water

Although spa has many benefits, some customers are hesitant to try this form of rehabilitation. For example, wearing swimsuits in public places can make customers uncomfortable. Some clients may also have physical difficulties in wearing appropriate treatment courses. This requires the therapist to show compassion, empathy and understanding. There are many ways to solve this self-image problem by providing alternatives, such as shorts and comfortable t-shirts for water therapy, separating the dressing room and treatment pool from other treatments, so that the conversation is semi private and suitable for people with arthritis or physical diseases.

When working with a client with visual impairment, the therapist is advised to direct the person to the swimming pool before treatment. The therapist should point out useful landmarks, such as chairs and ladders, as they can help the client move around the treatment pool.

Love Pool Spa practice

Aiji is a spa form founded by Jinye Chun in 1993. It combines elements of Taijiquan and Qigong to relax and strengthen the body. Practice using diaphragm breathing and active progressive resistance training while integrating mental, physical and mental energy. It is a combination of eastern and Western beliefs.

Customers usually practice Taijiquan standing in shoulder deep water. The initial focus is to master the deep breathing mode, and then the customer gradually enters the gentle movement of upper and lower limbs. In the whole process, we will pay close attention to the alignment and breathing of the body to create a calm and meditative state of mind.

It is speculated that AI Chi can be used in fall prevention programs for the elderly. Taijiquan has long been used to improve the balance ability of the elderly, but Taijiquan provides a way to enhance lateral stability and stepping skills, which plays a vital role in reducing the risk of falls.

Water running

Also known as deep-water running or water jogging, water running is a form of water running, which uses a floating belt to support the head and upper body on the water while maintaining a “normal” biomechanics. This type of hydrotherapy allows the client to experience the benefits of implementing a rehabilitation program without affecting the joints.

Aqua running in deep water or on an underwater treadmill is most commonly used to help accelerate the rehabilitation of injured athletes or improve the health of people who need low-intensity aerobic exercise.

For overweight or obese people who are unable to run on dry land, water jogging is a very effective weight loss technology. Because water is denser than air, jogging in water consumes more calories per minute than running in dry land. Water pressure also helps to exercise at the same intensity at a lower heart rate.

In addition to being used as a therapeutic technique, water running has always been a popular competitive sport. The water jogging world championship is held in Finland every year, attracting a large number of skilled athletes.

Bad Ragaz ring method for spa practice

The bad Ragaz ring method for spa was developed by a physiotherapist team in bad Ragaz, Switzerland. The goal is to develop a water-based reinforcement and mobilization resistance model. Their work combines the technical elements of water sports developed by German doctor knupfer in the 1930s with the research of American neurophysiologist Herman Kabat and his assistants Margaret Knott and Dorothy Voss in the 1950s and 1960s.

The “ring” part of the name of this spa technology refers to the annular floating device used to support the client when moving on the water. During the meeting, the client lies on his back in waist or shoulder length water.

Bad Ragaz ring method is usually used for customers with rheumatoid arthritis, soft tissue injury, spinal injury, head injury and Parkinson’s disease. Patients with fibromyalgia can also alleviate their chronic pain by incorporating this form of treatment into their overall care plan.

Burdenko hydrotherapy

The Burdenko method was created by Igor Burdenko, a Soviet professor of sports medicine. He designed this form of treatment as an integrated land and water approach. Dr. Igor Burdenko is currently the founder and President of the Burdenko Institute of water sports therapy in Boston. His organization provides therapists with the opportunity to obtain certification for this specific aquatic treatment technology.

The Burdenko method is usually used to treat exercise-related injuries. It helps to improve customers’ speed, strength, flexibility, coordination, balance and endurance. The client began to carry out rehabilitation exercise in water and gradually carried out exercise on land as the condition improved.

Halliwick spa concept

Originally developed by fluid mechanics engineer James McMillan in the 1940s and 1950s, this spa method focuses on helping customers develop balance and core stability. McMillan works with students at halliwick disabled girls’ school in London to help teach young people with physical disabilities swimming skills and general independence.

The halliwick ten point plan includes:

Psychological adjustment

Sagittal rotation control

Lateral rotation control

Longitudinal rotation control

Combined rotation control

Upsurge or psychological reversal

Equilibrium in stillness

Turbulent gliding

Simple advanced

Basic Harwick movement

Halliwick water therapy is classified as a problem-solving method. The therapist analyzes each client’s specific limitations and abilities before developing interventions that maximize function.

And hydrotherapy

Watsu was developed by Harold dull in Harbin hot spring, California in the early 1980s. In this form of water therapy, the therapist supports the client through a series of smooth movements and stretches designed to induce deep relaxation and provide various therapeutic effects. These movements combine elements such as massage, finger pressure, dance, muscle stretching and joint mobilization.

Watsu is used to treat a variety of orthopaedic and nervous system problems, both as an independent therapy and as a supplement to land-based treatment plans. It has also inspired other forms of aquatic therapy, including:

Water dance: this form of spa was developed by arjana brunschwiler and aman schroter in 1987. It uses massage, tumbling, handstand, dance, somersault and aikido like movements. The client starts with a water stretching exercise and then performs an underwater exercise with a stuffy nose.

Healing Dance: combining the elements of Watsu and Waterdance, healing dance was developed by Alexander George akopoulos, focusing on the flow, rhythm and 3D movement on and under the water.

Jahara Technology: this calm water therapy was developed by Mario jahara and combined with a floating device to provide continuous traction, while emphasizing spinal alignment, muscle relaxation and gentle physical exercise.

Physical pool therapy exercise

When water therapy is designed to promote physical health, each treatment course is divided into three parts:

Warm up: the customer starts with a low resistance exercise aimed at the upper and lower limbs. This usually includes stretching and stretching, followed by a short walk or jog on an underwater treadmill.

Fitness and strength training: after the warm-up, the customer usually carries out cardiovascular activities, such as running, sprint interval or multiplanar activities. You can also perform strength activities, including reinforcement training.

Core training: after fitness and strength training, customers do core training actions such as squat, leg swing, arm swing and shoulder push for 20-30 minutes.

Calm down: the treatment pool with massage hose connected to resistance nozzle can provide deep tissue massage experience and exercise muscles to prevent lactic acid accumulation.

Types of spa equipment

Underwater running treadmill

Running provides excellent cardiovascular exercise, but can lead to joint damage. However, using the underwater treadmill, you can enjoy all the benefits of running and reduce the impact.

Underwater treadmill can be used to help athletes recover from injury or recover whole-body movement after surgery. This is especially useful if the athlete or patient is not carrying or partially carrying weight. The high-end treatment pool model has resistance nozzle and adjustable speed, which can gradually increase the exercise intensity.

The benefits of using a treadmill as part of a spa include:

Promote early range of motion

Start gait training in a low impact environment

Replicate land sports biomechanics to improve customers’ gait patterns more accurately than water jogging

Improve cardiovascular endurance

Affect muscle strengthening

Improve the ability to perform various enhanced exercises

Lower blood pressure

Reduce joint stiffness

Provide the ability to exercise on multiple sports planes

The hydroworx treadmill is equipped with a rubber belt to provide additional traction and can be used barefoot or in shoes. The treadmill accelerates from 0.1 mph to up to 10 mph, making it suitable for all sports from walking and jogging to sprinting, side dragging, waking up and Carioca.

There are many types of spa pools, from small pools for individual customers to large pools for group exercise. The therapist uses a cold water diving pool to accelerate the athlete’s muscle recovery and reduce joint inflammation. Hot water small swimming pool is used to relax muscles.

The latest models of treatment pools provide precise temperature control and special massage hoses for specific muscles that need treatment. The swimming pool with underwater massage helps to prevent lactic acid accumulation, reduce pain and accelerate recovery time. Massage can also provide an effective way to help people cope with chronic pain.

Many treatment pools include stairs to promote safe accessibility for users with limited mobility. Therapists who often work with elderly, children or seriously injured clients may use swimming pools with removable floors to make it easier for clients to access the area. For example, the hydroworx 2000 and 1200 series pools have fully removable floors that can be raised and lowered in less than 30 seconds to ensure safe access to the treatment process.

Adjustable depth control, either standard or optional