Hydrotherapy in Spa Resorts and Practice
Blending traditional hydrotherapies into the service menu of the American luxury resort spa
The discussion will focus on the modern spa menu/design where water is featured but not employed as the powerful tool it is.
Speaker: Anne Bramham
Cancer Recovery and the healing power of water
In 1990 the report by the expert committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) Cancer Pain and Palliative Care called for an integration of efforts directed at maintaining the patient’s quality-of-life in all stages of cancer treatment from diagnosis until end of life. However, surveys by the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) continue to highlight the lack of any formal guideline or protocol for patient QOL assessment and intervention both during and after ‘primary therapy’.
The Cancer Recovery Programme (CRP) ‘clinical based best practice protocol’ devised by Matt Hickey (Hypokinetic Disease and Cancer Recovery Specialist) presently operates within a number of UK-based hospitals offering a multi-staged assessment process to collate patient data and ascertain patient recovery needs. Periodic review allows retrospective/comparative patient data analysis for demonstration of patient recovery or the need for further intervention. The CRP recognizes the benefit to amalgamation with complimentary services.
This seminar discusses the CRP’s recognition the benefit of amalgamation between conventional complimentary services. It examines the CRP’s relationship with Klinikzentrum Bad Sulza (KBS) and explores a modern approach to a traditional, adjunctive, non-invasive hydrothermal cancer therapy as an extension of the patient cancer care pathway.
Speaker: Matt Hickey
Acute Rehabilitation of Low Back Pain
Low Back Pain (LBP) is a widespread condition effecting millions of people around the world every year. Numerous are the causes of LBP and to treat effectively, it is imperative that a thorough assessment is done by the clinician. This is done to establish the origin of pain, whether it is neurogenic, myogenic, arthrogenic, or as in most cases, a combination.
Hydrotherapy is an effective tool to treat the acute and post-acute phases of LBP. The Physiotherapist uses the properties of water to assist or resist movement according to the desired effect. It could also be used to strengthen or assist weakened muscles, provide ideal environment to mobilise joints, the nervous system and connective tissue, aid circulation and also to relax the individual thus favouring manual treatment in the clinic.
As beneficial as it may sound, hydrotherapy treatments should be done with caution. Over-treatment is more detrimental than under-treatment. The pool provides an ideal environment to mask signs and symptoms. This is why the fact that there should be ongoing assessment is never stressed enough. Very important information is derived from both the subjective and objective parts of the assessment. The type, severity and irritability of pain gives an idea to the physiotherapist on how far s/he should go and the ideal way to progress treatment in the pool and eventually on land.
The workshop consists of two parts. A theoretical and practical introduction to balance testing which is performed on all of our patients. This will be followed by a hydrotherapy session introducing the various treatment techniques that we use at the Fortina Spa resort rehabilitation centre.
Speakers: Alan Zammit & André Bason