Man with knee pain

Knee pain

Hydrotherapy for Knee Pain and Post-Surgery Recovery

Knee pain or surgery can be life-altering, impacting your mobility, confidence, and overall quality of life. At our hydrotherapy centre, we specialise in helping patients recover from knee pain or surgery, offering a safe, supportive environment to rebuild strength, restore range of motion, and break the cycle of pain.

Whether you’re dealing with chronic knee pain or recovering from surgery, hydrotherapy can be a game-changer.

Why Hydrotherapy Works for Knee Pain and Post-Surgery Recovery

Hydrotherapy combines the unique properties of water- buoyancy, hydrostatic pressure, and warmth, to create an ideal environment for recovery. Here’s how it helps:

Pain-Free Movement

For patients with knee pain, walking on land can be sore and discouraging. The buoyancy of water reduces the load on your knees, allowing you to move and exercise without pain. Breaking the pain cycle with gentle, supported movement can restore confidence and improve daily function.

Swelling Reduction

Hydrostatic pressure promotes circulation and reduces swelling, which is common after knee injuries or surgery. By reducing inflammation, hydrotherapy improves comfort and accelerates recovery.

Gentle Strengthening and Loading

Water provides resistance that is both gentle and adaptable, allowing you to rebuild strength without overloading the joint. This is particularly important for patients with restricted weight-bearing or movement limitations.

Improved Range of Motion

The warm water relaxes muscles and promotes flexibility, making it easier to restore knee extension and flexion.

Common Knee Conditions We Treat

ACL Reconstruction

After ACL reconstruction, swelling and range of motion, especially extension are critical to address early. Hydrotherapy helps:

  • Reduce swelling through hydrostatic pressure.
  • Restore knee extension with gentle, pain-free exercises.
  • Maintain muscle activation to prevent wasting while protecting the graft site.

Meniscal Repair

Loading is often restricted after meniscal repair, but hydrotherapy provides a way to:

  • Begin controlled movement without weight-bearing.
  • Reduce swelling and stiffness.
  • Rebuild strength safely in the early stages of recovery.

Total Knee Replacement (TKR)

For patients recovering from TKR, hydrotherapy can:

  • Accelerate recovery by reducing pain and swelling.
  • Improve range of motion and muscle activation.
  • Support early mobility in a safe, low-impact environment.

See our Total Knee Replacement page for more details.

Patella Tendon Repair

Patella tendon rupture is a rare but serious injury. Hydrotherapy helps:

  • Decrease swelling and restore range of motion post-repair.
  • Build quadriceps strength and knee stability in a controlled manner.
  • Reintroduce functional movement without risking reinjury.

Tibial Plateau Fracture (Plate and Screws)

This type of knee injury is common, especially during ski season. Hydrotherapy is ideal for:

  • Managing swelling and improving knee mobility while weight-bearing is restricted.
  • Encouraging early, safe movement to prevent stiffness.
  • Gradually progressing to weight-bearing exercises as healing allows.

Chronic Knee Pain

For patients dealing with long-term knee pain, hydrotherapy provides:

  • A way to exercise and strengthen without aggravating the joint.
  • Pain relief through warmth and buoyancy.
  • A supportive environment to regain confidence and function.

Knee ligament exercises

A patient working in the pool following 2 knee ligament injuries

Blog posts about Knee pain

Everything you wanted to know but were too shy to ask.