**10. Hydrotherapy for musculoskeletal disorders**

Any activity done in the water to aid in healing and rehabilitation after a strenuous workout or significant injury is referred to as hydrotherapy (Aquatherapy) [65, 66]. It is a common method of treatment for people with musculoskeletal and neurologic disorders and involves activity in warm water [67]. Muscle relaxation, increased joint motion, and pain relief are the aims of this therapy [68]. This therapy is been used for thousands of years.

### **10.1 Physiological effects**

The physiological outcomes of water therapy bring together the advantages of the exercises and the heated pool water. The duration of the treatment, the water's temperature, the type and intensity of the activity, and the magnitude of the effects all vary [69]. Exercise in the water has physiological consequences that are similar to those of exercise on land. With each chemical shift that takes place while the muscles contract, more blood is supplied to the active muscles, which in turn causes the muscles' temperature to rise. The muscles have a higher metabolic rate, which causes

*Perspective Chapter: Resistance Exercises for Musculoskeletal Disorders DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110166*

a higher demand for oxygen and a higher output of carbon dioxide. This impact is a result of both these modifications and the equivalent modifications caused by the water's heat. Muscle power improves while the amount of joint motion is either maintained or expanded. The physiological effects of the soaking are less localized than those caused by any other source of heat. Since the body absorbs heat from the water and from all the contracting muscles used during activity, a rise in body temperature is unavoidable. The superficial blood vessels expand as the skin warms up, increasing the peripheral blood flow. By means of convection, the temperature of the underlying tissues rises as a result of the heated blood flowing through these capillaries [70].
