Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy Sessions 2024-2025

2024/2025 Dates:
7 week blocks:
Block 1 (2024): FULLY BOOKED
Block 2 (2025): February 22nd – April 5th 2025
Block 3 (2025): May 31st – July 12th 2025

Time: Saturdays 2.00pm – 3.50pm in 30 minute blocks with a 10 minute block in between (2.00pm-2.30pm / 2.40pm-3.10pm / 3.20pm-3.50pm)

Address: Armley Sports Centre, Carr Crofts, Leeds LS12 3HB
Price: £35 for all 7 sessions

Website: Armley Sports Centre / PT Kids

Contact info@littlehiccups.co.uk now to reserve a slot.

Please note that Little Hiccups services are for families that have children that have disabilities or additional needs. New families are always welcome but please register for free first.

Little Hiccups are delighted to announce that they have secured funding for Hydrotherapy sessions to run from Sept 2024 and Sept 2025 in partnership with The WO Street Charitable Foundation, The Felicity Wilde Charitable Trust, The Alan Robert Laken Charitable Trust, the Fyrish Foundation and PT Kids which will enable us to offer Hydrotherapy Sessions for children with additional needs that will run for 7 weeks.

There will be 3 separate groups that can fit 12 families each time.

Due to the high demand for Hydrotherapy spaces, please contact us on info@littlehiccups.co.uk to reserve a place stating which block you would like to attend. I will contact any that do not manage to get on these Blocks to see if you would like adding to our waiting list.

Book here

Please note: Hydrotherapy is aimed at children who will receive a physical benefit from Physiotherapy. If you are looking for SEND Swimming Lessons or Sensory impact, please look at the below suggestions:

Junior Disabled Swimming Lessons

Swimbrite Special Needs Swimming Lessons

Disability Sport

Leeds Inclusive Sport Programme

Armley Leisure Centre also run public sessions. Please contact Armley Leisure Centre for times, costing and the booking form.

ESSENTIAL INCLUSION CRITERIA

A specific neurological condition that affects gross motor skills and mobility such as:
- Cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury, spinal injury, muscular dystrophy, genetic conditions
Delayed development in gross motor skills, which may or may not be linked to a specific diagnosis, such as:
- Requiring help with sitting, crawling, standing, walking
Experiencing issues such as:
- Tight muscles, weak muscles, issues relating to posture, balance, coordination
Experiencing joint or muscle pains
Experiencing specific difficulties with coordination and balance; linked to on-land activities

What is important to acknowledge that these sessions are not designed to help with the below in isolation:

Teaching swimming skills
Developing water confidence
Sensory integration

Whilst hydrotherapy could impact the above, all children being offered a place should be able to link their needs to some part of the essential criteria & key benefits.

Download the Hydro Inclusion Criteria document

What is Hydrotherapy?

Hydrotherapy is the use of water in the treatment of different conditions. Hydrotherapy differs from swimming because it involves special exercises that you do in a warm-water pool. The water temperature is usually 33–36ºC, which is warmer than a typical swimming pool.

You’ll have hydrotherapy treatment with a physiotherapist with specialist training who will show you how to do the exercises. The focus of the exercises can be adjusted to help your child’s needs, their range of movement or strength and yours/their goal. This will be determined from a form that you will need to complete before starting and the physiotherapist will also chat to you on your first session.

Benefits of Hydrotherapy

Pain Relief – the support of the water and warmth can help reduce muscle spasms.
Increased Mobility – movement can be facilitated more freely in water to increase joint range and stretch muscles.
Strengthening –the water can be used as resistance to movement to help strengthen specific muscle groups or whole body challenging work.
Improved Balance – balance can be challenged by using water.

Hydrotherapy All sessions will be run with two qualified physiotherapists. Parent/carers will need to be in the water with their child.

Hydrotherapy pool 10×8 with step access and H frame hoist-tracking. There is a pool hoist and large, fully accessible changing facilities.

Sessions are suitable for children from birth to 16.

As with all our Little Hiccups events, our ethos is that the whole family are involved. Consequently, part of these sessions are to teach parents how to help their child with Hydrotherapy. Please be advised that you will be required to be in the water supporting your child through the sessions. There are a number of benefits to this, including learning alongside your child and enabling the physiotherapists to spend more valuable time with each family. However, please let me know if this is an issue as we will need to source additional support.

Please also check your diary prior to booking. Illness aside which we understand cannot be avoided, to get the full effect of the therapy you will need to be there every session for the 7 weeks. Not only will you and your child greatly benefit from this but I’m sure that you are aware that each session is quite costly!

Contact Little Hiccups on info@littlehiccups.co.uk if you have any questions or if you need any support with payment. We aim to make all our sessions inclusive – no matter the barriers.

Listen to a podcast from PT Kids about Hydrotherapy with Little Hiccups.

Listen to Podcast

Meet The Hydrotherapy Team

PT Kids

When you attend your hydrotherapy session, the physiotherapists who are there to help you and provide treatment are all members of PT Kids.

View Profile

Funded By

EG Foundation - 1000 - www.eg-foundation.com

National Lottery - 9300 - Community Fund

Case Study: Tilly

Tilly “Our little girl Tilly is 3 years old and has Rett Syndrome which is a rare genetic condition meaning in simple terms Tilly will need 24 hour care for the rest of her life.

She can lie and sit and is now standing and weight bearing, but can’t talk and can’t use her hands. Physiotherapy is crucial to her well-being and hydrotherapy is a key part of that.

Waiting lists for Hydrotherapy are so long, so we were delighted when Little Hiccups offered us a place funded by Children In Need last year at Armley Pool. Tilly went every week and sent time with two physios who moved her in ways I wouldn’t have even considered or been confident to do. And the results were amazing, she got stronger and continues to do so. She loves the weightlessness feeling being in the water gives her and she loves kicking about and testing her strength. They showed us more challenging postures to do with her too and how to move her in different ways.

The end result is that swimming has become more a family event for Tilly and her older sister Thea (4) and she always says on her eye gaze that she wants to go to the pool. She is brave and confident and loves being moved around and the feelings of being light.

This was only possible because of the Hydro offered by Little Hiccups and we were and are so grateful for that because physio and communication are so important and this is key to Tilly’s happiness and well-being apart from getting her stronger. If she is happy, she is more able to cope with the challenges she faces, always with a smile and a gently loving nature.

Tilly is just doing so well and took her first steps the other week with a walker after they said she would never walk.

So we thank little Hiccups and Children In Need for helping us to help Tilly enjoy life to the full.”

Email info@littlehiccups.co.uk now to reserve a slot.

Where Do I Go?

On arrival, do not queue at Reception. There should be Volunteers waiting to greet you the first week at Reception wearing a blue Sportsworks t-shirt but should you feel confident you can go straight to your Changing Room.

Go past Reception, and in through the doors on the left opposite the cafe signposted ‘Pools and Changing Village.’

Head down the Corridor. The Hydrotherapy pool is on your right (you will be able to see it through the window). If you have requested use of the Hoist your changing rooms are on the right next to the pool. Please remember to bring your own slings.

If you do not need a Hoist, there are changing rooms at the end of the corridor. There are two other Disabled Changing rooms with no hoist in the main changing area if you need them.