By Allison Warren, Staff Writer
On October 7, 300,000 reservists were called to service to protect the State of Israel. Unfortunately, many soldiers have been left permanently injured in the war. By September, more than 10,000 wounded soldiers had been treated by Israel’s Rehabilitation Department of the Defense Ministry. Injuries range from limbs, spine, eye, ear, and head wounds.
Hydrotherapy is when one uses water, in any form, to promote healing. Due to water’s buoyancy, it was commonly used in ancient cultures such as India, Egypt, and China as one of their forms of naturopathic treatment. Hydrotherapy offers those who have been injured the opportunity to rebuild their strength and regain their mobility in a safe environment while not placing too much stress on their injuries.
Hydrotherapy can be used for a range of therapies, including treating joint pain, easing muscle stress, as well as treating burns and chronic health conditions such as arthritis. The treatment may use cold or hot water, with varying water pressure to relieve physical and mental symptoms.
Warm water has provided many with pain relief, especially those with chronic diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissues, enabling them to exercise in an easier way. This may result from the water easing pain signals, relaxing muscles and joints, and increasing blood flow.
The CDC notes that water exercise may improve one’s mental health. An additional benefit of hydrotherapy is that it offers low-impact exercise that does not place too much stress on one’s joints, giving one the opportunity to workout while reducing pain simultaneously. Since one floats while in water, the strain on one’s joints and muscles is reduced. Additionally one is able to build muscle strength while in water due to the resistance being greater in water than in air.
Currently, not all benefits of hydrotherapy are evidence-based, and research over the past couple of decades has been done to better understand how water can improve one’s mental and physical health. Medical experts have found that it can be a great tool to alleviate muscle pain and joint stiffness. In the U.S., the FDA has not yet regulated hydrotherapy as a treatment option. Therefore, one should investigate their hydrotherapist options well before using one.
While hydrotherapy may not be a suitable replacement for all treatments, it certainly can act as an alternative to other medications or invasive treatments.
During World War 1, hydrotherapy was used to help heal wounded soldiers in Manchester, a concept they learned from France. In 1915, medical experts advised the army to treat battle wounds with baths. Wounded soldiers would enter the Pool of Bethesda, which was kept heated, which would have a healing effect. The hope was that those injured and newly disabled could experience some form of relief from the water, or potentially even a permanent cure. The British found promising results when the soldiers, injured by gunshot wounds, disease, and shock, immersed themselves in the water. It was recorded that, on average, 170 soldiers daily would utilize the healing effects of hydrotherapy.
Since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Sheba Medical Center has used its hydrotherapy pool to treat those injured in war. Currently, the hydrotherapy department in The Integrated Rehabilitation Hospital offers aqua bikes, a virtual reality system, jacuzzi jets for soldiers to enjoy after intensive training sessions, computer systems with submerged lights and cameras to monitor patient progress. The Hospital also has plans to install underwater treadmills for gait training. Soldiers have even received scuba diving lessons from volunteers at Etgarim, an Israeli nonprofit with a mission to empower those with disabilities through sports.
After the devastating October 7 attack, Sheba adjusted their water exercises to accommodate the newly wounded soldiers, who were just at their peak fitness, by encouraging them to swim laps in the swimming pool. Moshe Yacoby, an aquatic therapist at Sheba and former water polo coach, started an initiative to offer the wounded soldiers group pool therapy. Some swimmers arrive in crutches, others in wheelchairs, motivating each other to reach their rehab goals. Those with blast injuries that perforated their eardrums wear earplugs, and those with eye wounds wear goggles. Those who on land are disabled and have had limbs amputated can feel independent once in the water. For Yom Hazikaron those unable to stand on land for two minutes of silence were encouraged to stand in the hydrotherapy pool instead.
One wounded soldier named David, who suffered from multiple fractures in his ankle and foot, shared that “the hydrotherapy was the single most important factor in [his] rehabilitation.”
We hope and pray for the complete recovery of all those injured in this war and express our gratitude to the brave soldiers who serve to protect us. Hydrotherapy offers a valuable resource in their recovery journey, helping them regain strength and independence. With the support of programs like those at Sheba Medical Center, these heroes can reclaim their lives after such devastating experiences. Let us continue to stand by them and support them as they heal and move forward.
Photo Credit: Israel’s Ministry of Defense
Photo Caption: Wikimedia Commons