Hydrotherapy (PTBA 326) Quiz Chapter 5

Course Information

• Course Title: Hydrotherapy (PTBA 326)
• Presenter: Dr. Mai Abo Elhamd, PhD, PT, Cairo University

Course Aim

• The course teaches the use of water for pain relief and treatment.
• It covers a range of therapeutic methods utilizing water's physical properties (temperature, pressure).
• The goal is to stimulate blood circulation and treat symptoms of various diseases.

Recommended Textbook

• Bellew J, Michlovitz S, Nolan T. Modalities For Therapeutic Intervention.
• Chapter 5
• F. A. Davis Company Philadelphia. 2016. 6th ed.

Course Assessment

• Total grade: 100 marks
• Quizzes: 5 marks
• Assignments: 5 marks
• Midterm: 10 marks (week 8)
• Final oral exam: 15 marks
• Final practical exam: 15 marks
• Final written exam: 50 marks

Hydrotherapy Definition

• Hydrotherapy uses water (hot, cold, steam, liquid, ice) to treat physical and psychological dysfunction.
• It's derived from Greek words: "hydro" (water) and "therapy" (healing).
• Designed to improve neuromuscular, skeletal, and proprioceptive function in patients with acute, subacute, and chronic disabilities.

Physical Properties of Water

• Understanding water's static and dynamic properties is crucial for effective hydrotherapy.
• Key properties include buoyancy, viscosity, hydrostatic pressure, and hydrodynamics.
• Water exists in all three states (liquid, solid, gas) at Earth's typical temperatures (freezes at 0°C and boils at 100°C at sea level).

Buoyancy

• Buoyancy is an upward force opposing gravity.
• Archimedes' principle: A body immersed in a fluid experiences an upward thrust equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces.
• Object buoyancy depends on its density. Denser objects sink, less dense objects float.
• Water density can be increased by adding salt.
• Buoyancy can be augmented/increased via air-filled objects (life vests, arm bands).

Specific Gravity

• Specific gravity is a way to describe the density of a substance compared to the density of water.
• Water has a specific gravity of 1.0 at 4°C.
• Specific gravity of human tissues varies. The human body (with air in lungs) has a specific gravity of 0.917. Subcutaneous fat 0.85, bone (femur) 1.85

Who Benefits Most?

• Obese individuals benefit more from hydrotherapy because fat tissue has lower specific gravity compared to other tissues .
• Females typically have a higher body fat percentage compared to males which means they experience greater buoyancy.

Clinical Implications of Buoyancy

• Reduces stress and compression on weight-bearing joints, muscles, and connective tissues.
• Supports/stabilizes the body during exercises, and assists therapists.

Hydrostatic Pressure

• Pressure exerted by water on immersed objects.
• Pascal's Law: Pressure exerted by a fluid on an immersed object is equal on all surfaces.
• Pressure increases with increased water depth/density.
• Distal parts (feet, legs) experience greater hydrostatic pressure than upper parts (arms, shoulders) when immersed.
• Improved venous return, lymphatic drainage, and circulation.
• Reduction of edema.
• Assistance in improving circulatory and respiratory function.

Viscosity

• Friction between water molecules leading to resistance to flow.
• Water's viscosity creates resistance to body movement.
• Resistance depends on the speed of movement and the frontal area.
• Larger frontal areas lead to more resistance
• Resistance diminishes when movement stops.

Clinical Applications of Viscosity

• Increased limb/muscle strength during underwater exercises (e.g. walking underwater reduces stress on the lower limbs).
• Enhanced muscle strengthening
• Calorie burning during underwater exercises
• Stimulation of skin receptors for pain relief/sensory loss patients.