The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : A dip in water can bring about physical development

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Friday, Apr 03, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

A dip in water can bring about physical development

Staff Reporter

SPASTN conducts a coaching workshop on the use of hydrotherapy

SPASTN has been utilising this hydrotherapy for 10 years
Expert warns that this is only a therapy and not a cure

CHENNAI: Physical therapists from across India are taking a dip this week, as part of a coaching workshop to learn the use of hydrotherapy in facilitating physical development.

Hydrotherapy (aquatic therapy), the submerging of physically limited individuals in a pool to rehabilitate their weakened muscles, is one way to mobilise children with disabilities such as cerebral palsy or autism, according to Physical Therapist Karthik Ranganatha Rao.

He was speaking at a workshop held by the Spastics Society of Tamil Nadu (SPASTN), an organisation that promotes the empowerment of people with disabilities through vocational training. This workshop features a session in which the physical therapists will learn development techniques while immersed in a shallow pool.

Mr. Rao says that physically handicapped children have difficulty moving due to lesions in parts of the brain that are responsible for muscle control. But if the muscles remain unused, they will become weak, the limbs will shorten, and the joints will stiffen, soon making it virtually impossible for the child to use the limbs at all.

“We cannot do much with the primary problem that stems from the brain lesions, but we can prevent the secondary problem,” he added.

The workshop began with Mr. Rao instructing the therapists on the unique properties of water and how aquatic exercise can be used to teach physically disabled children to use their muscles. Thanks to water’s natural buoyancy, these children, who may not be able to position themselves properly on land, can resist the force of gravity and practice using their muscles. Plus, he says most children enjoy water activities, so it is a fun experience for them as well.

SPASTN Director Madhumati Achuthan says the pool is heated for the children’s comfort and to loosen the muscles. Mr. Rao notes that water also provides resistance, and that is what builds muscle endurance. But he warns that this is only a therapy and not a cure.

“The water is only a medium by which we strengthen the child to make him/her independent on land.” Therapists must also practice with the child on land for optimum results.

SPASTN has been utilising hydrotherapy for ten years, but this is the first time the society has held such a workshop.

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