Hydrotherapy for children with Cerebral Palsy Treatment

Can Hydrotherapy Help Children With Celebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disability in childhood. It can affect about 1 in 300 children according to estimates. This means thousands of children in Dublin are dealing with this condition day in, day out. We at Kiltipper Woods Physiotherapy and Hydrotherapy Clinic Dublin 24 however can help greatly.

Hydrotherapy can be a gentle but highly effective form of treatment for cerebral palsy (CP). Hydrotherapy (also known as aquatic therapy, aqua therapy or water therapy) can help children with cerebral palsy go through a series of movements that can gently stretch the rigid muscles associated with the condition.

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have a physical impairment which affects movement. The movement problems vary from barely noticeable to extremely severe. People with CP often have difficulty in controlling their movement. This doesn't necessarily mean that their mental abilities are in any way impaired. Some are of higher than average intelligence; others have moderate to severe learning difficulties. Most, like many people without CP, are of average intelligence. The most obvious effects on a child with CP are on movement and can result in stiffness, floppiness, unsteadiness, difficulty in controlling movement or unwanted involuntary movement. Exercise in water appeals to children with CP because of the unique quality of the buoyancy of the water that reduces joint loading and impact and decreases the negative influences of poor balance and poor postural control. Hydrotherapy usually consists of gentle stretching, floatation and relaxing exercises, strengthening exercises against the resistance of the water and movement exercises within the water.

Advantages of Hydrotherapy for Cerebral Palsy

Hydrotherapy can relax and soften muscles in a way that other cerebral palsy treatments cannot. It’s also useful for speech therapy as it improves vocalization, respiratory function and motor skills. Hydrotherapy improves muscle tone and strength while increasing circulation, endurance flexibility, range of motion, balance and coordination. The buoyancy of the water relieves pressure on the muscles and joints, while the gentle resistance helps to build or improve muscle tone. Hydrotherapy is an excellent treatment for anyone living with cerebral palsy, especially children. This is because hydrotherapy, especially if started early enough in the child’s life, can reduce the discomfort and deformities often associated with cerebral palsy leading to a more active, healthy and independent life.


For a toddler with CP, the outcome of hydrotherapy might be to increase range of motion to prepare for sitting up or walking later on. For an older child, hydrotherapy might center on strengthening muscles in a lower gravity environment. For adults with severe symptoms, hydrotherapy might simply reduce discomfort and provide a way to increase activity.