Halliwick
The Halliwick Concept focuses on biophysical principles of motor control in water, in particular developing
The Halliwick Concept
The Halliwick Concept was originally developed by fluid mechanics engineer James McMillan in the late 1940s and 1950s, at the Halliwick School for Girls with Disabilities in London, to teach
According to the Halliwick Concept, physical properties of water form the basis for therapeutic intervention:[2]
- Turbulence, Flow, and Resistance: Turbulent moving water provides resistance,; therefore balance is lost slowly and there is time to react and learn motor control.
- Buoyancy: Buoyancy provides an easy way to change position, which influences the vestibular system in sensory integration.
- Buoyancy, Gravity, and Rotational Torques: Buoyancy forces counteract gravity forces and create rotational torques (metacentric effects). These torques can be used to increase load on connective tissue.
The first part of the concept, the Halliwick Ten-Point-Programme, incorporates these biophysical principles and focuses on mental adjustment, disengagement, and development of motor control, with an emphasis on rotational control, and is applied to teach participation in water activities, moving independently in water, and swimming. McMillan emphasized participation and independence: the willingness to lose balance and knowing how to stand up again.[2]
The second part of the concept, Halliwick Aquatic Therapy (also known as Water Specific Therapy, WST), applies the fundamental biophysical principles and the underlying principles of the Ten-Point-Programme for planning and implementing patient-specific aquatic therapy.[2]
Technique
The Halliwick Ten-Point-Programme
The first part of the Halliwick Concept implements the Halliwick Ten-Point-Programme to develop balance control, swimming skills, and independence:[2]
- Mental Adjustment: adjusting turbulence and buoyancy, learning breath control, cultivating confidence and good attitude.
- Disengagement: reducing reliance on instructor, changing instructors, practicing independently.
- Transversal Rotation Control: learning movement in the sagittal plane around a transverse axis, in particular, regaining the upright position from the horizontal position, and the horizontal position from the upright position; eventually learning somersaulting.
- Sagittal Rotation Control: learning movement in the transverse plane around a sagittal axis, controlling activities that involve trunk side flexion, such as side stepping.
- Longitudinal Rotation Control: learning movement around a longitudinal axis, controlling activities that involve rolling over.
- Combined Rotation Control: learning to control any combination of rotations executed in a single movement; once learned a swimmer can control position in pool and is safe.
- Upthrust or Mental Inversion: learning about buoyancy, in particular that water always pushes up.
- Balance in Stillness: learning to maintain a relaxed body while floating and with turbulence.
- Turbulent Gliding: learning to control the position of the body while being moved by the instructor.
- Simple Progression and Basic Swimming Movement: progressing from simple propulsive movements to coordinated arm, leg, head, and torso movements required for swimming.
Halliwick Aquatic Therapy
The second part of the Halliwick Concept, known as Halliwick Aquatic Therapy (also called Water Specific Therapy, WST) is an
Applications
The Halliwick Ten-Point-Programme has been applied for teaching swimming to people with disability, as well as more broadly as a general approach to teaching swimming and working with disability.
Halliwick Aquatic Therapy has mainly used in
Halliwick also enables a graded activity programme: with low mechanical impact and increasing physiological demand, chronic low back pain patients and others can increase their functional capacity in a mostly joyful way.
References
- ISBN 978-0763797553.
- ^ ISBN 9780702053030.
- ISBN 978-0615365671.
- ^ Noh DG, Lim JY, Shin HI, Paik NJ. 2008. The effect of aquatic therapy on postural balance and muscular strength in stroke survivors - a randomized controlled trial. Clinical Rehabilitation 22: 966-976.
External links
- History of Halliwick development in the UK (1949 – 1970): The Halliwick Story part one
- Historical Films of McMillan: Video