Strength and balance aquatic therapy uses controlled, resisted movement in water to improve muscular force production, joint stability, and postural control.

Water creates a unique strengthening and balance response due to:

• Buoyancy: Reduces body weight and joint compression, allowing safe strengthening in painful or unstable joints
• Viscosity: Provides constant multi-directional resistance, forcing muscles to work through the entire range of movement
• Turbulence: Challenges stability by constantly disturbing balance, activating deep stabilising muscles
• Hydrostatic pressure: Enhances proprioception and joint awareness, improving balance and movement control

Because resistance is present in all directions and impact is minimal, strength and balance training in water allows earlier loading with lower injury risk than land-based training. This makes water ideal for:

• Clients with poor balance or instability
• Post-surgical and post-injury strengthening
• Older adults and high-BMI clients
• Early return-to-sport loading