What’s as warm as a sauna, as comforting as an electric blanket, effective as a workout, and as soothing as a massage?
The answer is – Hydrotherapy!
Some also refer to it as warm water therapy, aquatherapy, or swimming pool workouts.
For today’s blog we will be discussing Fibromyalgia and how we can help the people of Dublin and surrounding areas deal with this condition. So what is Fibromyalgia? Well Fibromyalgia, also called fibromyalgia syndrome, is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body. The pain of fibromyalgia however does not just affect the muscles, ligaments and tendons, but is felt all over the body. It results in widespread pain and extreme tiredness. People with fibromyalgia may also have:
- difficulty sleeping
- headaches
- irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- muscle stiffness
It is estimated that fibromyalgia affects nearly 1 in 20 people across the globe. Anyone can develop fibromyalgia, although the condition affects more women than men. In most cases, fibromyalgia occurs between 30 and 60 years of age, but it can develop in people of any age, including children and the elderly.
As a fitness program, hydrotherapy provides unique ways to strengthen muscles, relieve pain, improve balance, and restore joint health. And the best thing about it is all of these benefits are achieved without harmful or damaging impact to the body.
While other fitness activities provide benefits for the fibromyalgia body – walking, yoga, tai chi, stretching, etc. – hydrotherapy is a perfectly suited fitness solution for those who have chronic pain and mobility concerns. It’s a great resource to add to your already existing variety of fitness routines. It is important to remember that variety provides a powerful key to fitness success.
In general, when it comes to encouraging the fibromyalgia community to exercise or embrace a fitness regimen, here are the common objections we hear:
- I can’t because it is painful
- I don’t want to injure myself and hurt worse than I do now..
- I don’t know how to move or what to do on my own.
- I need consistent supervision, encouragement, and accountability.
Objections like these can be addressed at Kiltipper Woods Physiotherapy and Hydrotherapy Clinic in Dublin as we have the best facilities and services available which all delivered by one of our professional physiotherapists on a one to one basis. This is our bread and butter!
The arthritis community here in Dublin have long endorsed physiotherapy and hydrotherapy with ourselves as it provides healing benefits for the commonly sore, stiff, and achy joints affected by both osteon and rheumatoid arthritis. Many studies have been done showing the effectiveness of hydrotherapy for arthritis participants and the same benefits can translate to the fibromyalgia and chronic health community.
Benefits of Hydrotherapy