Hydrotherapy Exercises
Date issued: May 2023
Review date: May 2025
Ref: C-423/KM/Physiotherapy/Hydrotherapy Exercises v3
PDF: Hydrotherapy exercises final May 2023 v3.pdf[pdf] 327KB
Stretching Exercises
Calf Stretch
Put one foot forward and one foot back, bend your front knee and keep your back knee straight. Make sure your toes point forwards on both feet. You should feel a stretch on your back leg. Hold that position for 30 seconds and then change legs.
Quad Stretch
Place an armband on your foot and face the side of the pool. Allow your heel to float up towards your bottom. Keep standing as tall as you can and keep your knees together. Hold that position for 30 seconds and then change legs.
Hamstring Stretch
Place an armband on your foot and keep your back against the side of the pool. Keeping your knee straight, let your leg float up into the air. Hold that position for 30 seconds and then change legs.
Hamstring Stretch – One Leg to Wall
Hold the bar with two hands and place one foot flat against the wall, now straighten your leg as much as you can. Hold that position for 30 seconds and then change legs.
Hamstring Stretch – Both Legs to Wall
Hold the bar with two hands and place both feet flat against the wall, now straighten your legs as much as you can. Hold that position for 30 seconds.
Strengthening Exercises
Spidermans
Hold on to the edge of the pool and place your feet against the side. Keeping your feet as high as you can, side step around the edge of the pool.
Cycling Legs
In the corner of the pool, cycle your legs trying to keep your bottom as high as you can in the water.
Woggle Cycling
Sit on a woggle as if you are riding a bike and hold on to the woggle at the front with both hands. Cycle your legs like you are riding a bike and pedal around the pool.
Hip Strengthening 1
Place an armband on your foot and face the edge of the pool. Keeping your toes pointing forward, lift your leg straight up to the side as far as you can and pull it back down to the middle. Repeat this 10 times.
Hip Strengthening 2
Repeat the above but only lift your leg out a little way to the side and then bring it back to the middle. Repeat this 10 times as fast as you can.
Hip Strengthening 3
Place an armband on your foot and lift your knee up in front of you. Push your leg back down to the floor and straighten it out behind you as shown in the picture below, making sure you keep up as tall as you can. Repeat this 10 times.
Single Leg Balance with Float
Stand on one leg and put a float under the other foot. Try to keep your balance, then gently move the float forwards and backwards and side to side. Practice this on both feet. Lift your arms out of the water to make this more difficult.
Line Walking
Walk along a line on the bottom of the pool as if you are walking on a tightrope, so your heel touches the toes of your other foot. Start with your hands in the water to help keep your balance and progress to hands up in the air.
Woggle Balance
Sit on a woggle like you are sitting on a swing. Hold on to the woggle on each side and when you feel as though you can keep your balance without moving your feet. Make sure you squeeze your tummy muscles tight to stop you from wobbling too much.
Woggle Balance – Hands Up!
Just like above but to make it harder try lifting one hand out of the water or maybe even both.
Woggle Walking
Stand on one end of the woggle and then try to tightrope walk along it putting one foot directly in front of the other one as shown on the picture below. If you fall off, make sure you start again at the end of the woggle.
Lunges on a Step
Place one foot up on to the step and keep your other foot on the bottom of the pool. Lunge forward and try to push your front knee over your toes to increase your knee bend.
Squats
Place your feet shoulder width apart, hold the bar with two hands and stand up straight. Lower yourself by bending your knees.
Step Ups
Step up onto the step and bring your other foot up to join it before stepping back down. Repeat this leading with the other leg.
Marching on the Spot
March on the spot, lift your knees up as high as you can.
Heel Raises
Hold onto the bar with two hands. Lift your heels up to stand on tip-toes and slowly lower yourself back down
Push-Pull with Float
Stand up straight with your back against the side of the pool. Hold the float next to your tummy and push it away from you under the water as far as you can and pull it back. Tip: tighten your tummy, back, leg and bottom muscles to keep yourself still.
Woggle Swimming On Your Front
Place a woggle under your arms and hold on to the woggle at all times. Swim from one end of the pool to the other only kicking your legs.
Woggle Swimming On Your Back
Lean back with the woggle under your arms and hold on to the woggle at all times. Swim from one end of the pool to the other only kicking your legs.
Seaweeding
Lie back and rest your head on your therapist’s shoulder. Relax and go as floppy as you can. Your therapist will sway you from side to side, allow your body to sway with the movement.
Exercises should be individually prescribed by your physiotherapist during your hydrotherapy sessions. Please make sure you drink plenty of fluids after your sessions because the heat of the pool can dehydrate you.
Once your hydrotherapy sessions are complete, these exercises can be carried out in a local swimming pool.
