“Mary” (not her real name) came to our clinic last year following a knee injury, and had been in a wheelchair for one month prior to seeing us. In her late 70s, she had been told only to rest for a whole month before coming to see us, and so came to see us feeling very weak and low energy. Based on our knowledge of exercise and injury rehabilitation, we recommended Mary commence physio supervised exercise ASAP to prevent any further deconditioning and muscle wasting. After discussions with Mary, and development of client centred goals, it was agreed hydrotherapy at our spacious onsite pool in Brighton would be the best place to start her rehabilitation. Mary started attending hydrotherapy twice a week in our smaller physiotherapist directed ‘Hip and Knee Hydro’ classes.
Mary was initially reluctant to get in the water, as it had been many years since she had been swimming or in a pool. Being in the smaller group hydrotherapy session enabled her to build up confidence, then strength, and improve her mobility too. On her initial assessment Mary was using crutches, and could only cover very short distances. In a few weeks Mary was able to get around on one crutch, then progressed down to a walking stick, and is now walking confidently with no mobility aids! Mary has seen benefit in exercising, and having achieved her goals, has progressed to our larger group general hydrotherapy class, which will help to make sure she continues to build her physical condition and be able to stay active so that she can keep living the life she loves!
