Hydrotherapy Calgary
When you need a lower impact way to move, strengthen, and recover, hydrotherapy in Calgary can help you make progress with more confidence.
What Is Hydrotherapy?
Hydrotherapy is physiotherapy based rehabilitation performed in the pool. The water supports your body, reduces load through your joints, and creates a controlled environment where you can move with less pain and more freedom.
That makes it a strong option when land-based exercise feels too aggressive, too painful, or too limited in the early or mid stages of recovery after surgeries.
At Vital Performance Care, your pool rehabilitation is led by Rachel Solecki, MSc PT, BSc Kin, a physiotherapist who builds each session around your body, your goals, and your stage of recovery.
How Pool Physiotherapy in Calgary Can Help You
With aquatic rehabilitation, you can often start working on movement, strength, mobility, and confidence sooner and more comfortably than you could on land alone.
Hydrotherapy may help you:
Reduce joint stress and reduce swelling
Restore movement after surgery or injury
Build strength in a more supported environment
Progress rehabilitation when land based exercise is limited
Improve walking, balance, and control
Support balance-deficient individuals
Who Hydrotherapy Is For
Hydrotherapy at Vital Performance Care may be a good fit if you are dealing with:
Post Operative Rehab
Clients recovering from surgical procedures who are cleared for aquatic rehabilitation
Non Weight-Bearing Clients
Individuals who benefit from buoyancy-assisted exercise and mobility
Restricted Range of Motion
Clients with very significantly limited range of motion who require assisted movements in the water.
Meet Your Hydrotherapy Physiotherapist
Rachel Solecki, MSc PT, BSc Kin
Rachel provides one to one physiotherapist-led hydrotherapy in the pool at Vital Performance Care. Your sessions are guided by clinical assessment, personalized programming, and a clear focus on helping you move forward safely and effectively.
Where Hydrotherapy Takes Place
Your pool sessions take place at Vital Performance Care, inside the Eau Claire Athletic Club, at the club's pool, located at:
101 3 St SW, Calgary, AB T2P 4G6
With an elevator and accessible change rooms, your physiotherapist will help make your transition from assessment to pool rehab easy and convenient.
Pool Therapy FAQs
What is the physiological rationale for hydrotherapy?
A) buoyancy helps the individual have up to 90% body weight unloading so we can gain earlier and less painful mobility.
B) The hydrostatic pressure helps with oedema control (swelling) and increases cardiac output and enhances proprioceptive input.
C) Viscocity and drag from the water allows us to use speed-dependance resistance for save progressive muscle strengthening
D) The thermodynamics of the water help with neuroreceptor analgesia (pain reduction) and vasodialition to improve tissue healing.
Is hydrotherapy safe?
Yes, studies have found that post-operative use of hydrotherapy as early as 4-days post surgery was safe and effective at improving range of motion, decreasing pain, and even some studies finding there is zero increased risk of post-operative infection when hydrotherapy is introduced at the appropriate time in the rehabilitation plan.
Is there evidence for using hydrotherapy?
Yes! There are big meta-analyses like Jin et al (2025), Centuriao et al (2024), Villalta & Petris (2013).
Can hydrotherapy be useful for ACL reconstructions?
Yes, there is some evidence from Buckthorpe et al (2019)'s clinical commentary in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. From experience, our physiotherapists have found great use and positive outcomes.
I'm worried about getting in and out of the pool - how can we ease my concern?
After a thorough assessment with the physiotherapist in the clinic for the first session, the physio will have a good idea of your capability and can adapt the entry into the pool for you. For the hydrotherapy session, the physio can assist you into and out of the change room, into and out of the pool, and ensure you're guided through every stage of the process.
Book Your Hydrotherapy Assessment
If you are ready to explore hydrotherapy in Calgary, your first step is to book an Initial Assessment with Rachel Solecki.
After a full assessment from the physiotherapist, they will recommend either 45 or 60 minute follow up hydrotherapy sessions in the pool, to be booked with Rachel during your first assessment appointment.