A NEW water-based therapy programme is helping Islanders with long-term health conditions improve their movement, manage pain and boost their mental wellbeing – and the head of the service hopes it could soon be offered to the wider community.
The technique, called “Ai Chi”, combines slow, flowing movements and deep breathing in shoulder-high warm water. It has been introduced at the General Hospital hydrotherapy pool by the physiotherapy team.
The therapy is already being used to support people living with persistent pain and neurological conditions such as stroke and musculoskeletal injuries.
Lead aquatic physiotherapist Tara Richardson said the first six-week course involving five patients has now been completed, with more sessions planned.
“We’ve just finished our first cohort and we’ve seen really positive feedback,” she said. “We wanted to trial it properly and make sure it was helping before promoting it further, but we’re now running four or five sessions a week, and there’s growing demand.”
Patients are currently referred to the hydrotherapy service through consultants, physiotherapists or directly from hospital wards. But Ms Richardson said the aim was to roll out the technique more widely, by training local charities and fitness providers to deliver sessions in community settings.
She said: “The long-term goal is to make this available as a general fitness or wellness practice in the community, not just a rehabilitation tool.”
Neil, one of the patients who took part in the first course, said the therapy had helped him regain confidence after having a stroke in September last year.
“It’s really helped me,” he said. “It’s improved my movement, stamina, flexibility and helped with my mental health. The water helps reduce my pain, and I’d absolutely recommend it to others.”
