O International Organisation of Aquatic Physiotherapists (IOAPT), the speciality group of World Physiotherapy that Order of Physiotherapists integrates, has chosen this Friday, 22 March, as a day dedicated to the Aquatic PhysiotherapyHe also proposed that members highlight it as a way of raising awareness and informing the public about this specific area of physiotherapy intervention.
As a member of IOAPT, the Order of Physiotherapists is represented by Thematic Working Group (WG) on Aquatic Physiotherapy and associates itself with this date, highlighting the role of Aquatic Physiotherapy.
A Aquatic Physiotherapy incorporates a whole process of:
- their own clinical reasoning, based on an individual assessment, supported by the use of specific measuring instruments for the aquatic environment, preferably adapted and validated for the Portuguese population;
- diagnosis in physiotherapy;
- formulating objectives and intervention programmes;
- application of methods, techniques and strategies specific to the aquatic environment;
- evidence-led practice.
A Aquatic Physiotherapy It can be carried out as a single form of treatment or as a complement to another type of treatment/intervention, and usually takes into account three aspects: therapeutic, preventive/educational and recreational.
The Physiotherapist is a health professional with specialised and differentiated skills, who uses the effects of the physical-chemical and thermal properties of water, combined with in-depth knowledge of human movement and the physiological effects in this environment, to intervene in conditions that affect movement, function, health and well-being.
In this context, physiotherapists can work in swimming pools, whether community, therapeutic/hospital or thermal, individually or in groups, in a public or private practice profile, demonstrating that the use of the aquatic environment can make a difference in the quality of treatment/intervention and facilitate a better quality of life and better functional results in various clinical conditions.
