Hydrotherapy and full body immersion

Hydrotherapy is a technique used in physiotherapy to aid patients in the recovery of physical trauma. A form of hydrotherapy, called full body immersion, requires the patient to stand or sit in a large tank with a water level topping off at the chest area. A modified version of full body immersion therapy is often used by athletes, in which they perform exercises under water to reduce the amount of tension, pressure, and pain in the affected area. This allows for a faster recovery from the injury.

A new method of full body immersion therapy is under investigation. This new version of the treatment involves the steady reduction of pressure and volume in the tank. To execute this process, a tank of water is filled to the top and has a small hole through which the water can flow out. The top of the tank is open to the atmosphere. The tank is full so the water level is a height D above the hole, and the hole is a height H above the table.

Figure 1. The apparatus of the new immersion technique trial.