Watsu® for CVA patients: Water shiatsu comes into its own in the world of aquatic therapy research

(photo: aquatichealing.com)

It wasn't too many years ago when Watsu® was little known in the world of western medicine.

Well, 28 years after its inception, therapists across the globe can now read about using Watsu for their most disabled clientele.

It's validating for those of us who first learned Watsu back in the 80's and 90's to watch it make such a mark on westernized medicine. We always knew the beauty, the power and the effectiveness of Watsu. It's just that now it's been published.

Watsu® is a registered trademark of the Worldwide Aquatic Bodywork Association.

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Well, Chon SC, Oh DW, Shim JH. Watsu approach for improving spasticity and ambulatory function in hemiparetic patients with stroke. Physiother Res Int. 2008 Sep 30.  [Epub ahead of print]

ABSTRACT
Background and Purpose. This study reports the effect of Watsu as rehabilitation method for hemiparetic patients with stroke.

Method. Watsu consisted of 40 treatment sessions for 8 weeks, delivered underwater or at water surface level, it applied in three patients. Outcome measures included tools for assessing spasticity and ambulatory function.

Results. All patients showed decreased scores in the TAS and RVGA after Watsu application. Conclusions. Watsu was helpful in controlling spasticity and improving ambulatory function of the patients with hemiparesis. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AUTHOR AFFILIATIONS: Physiotherapy Section, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.