Hydrotherapy modalities include which of the following?

• A. Whirlpool
• B. Ice massage
• C. Laser therapy
• D. UV light

Answer: (A)

Hydrotherapy modalities use water to influence tissue temperature, circulation, swelling, and pain through immersion, buoyancy, hydrostatic pressure, and controlled temperatures. A whirlpool fits this perfectly because immersion in warm or cool water with agitation provides buoyancy to reduce joint load, allows comfortable movement, and uses temperature and movement to boost circulation, decrease swelling, relax muscles, and provide analgesia. Ice massage, while water-based in a sense, is a cryotherapy technique applying ice directly to tissue rather than immersing a body part; it's not hydrotherapy. Laser therapy and UV light are phototherapies that use light energy, not water. So the hydrotherapy modality here is the whirlpool.