What is aquatic therapy?
Aquatic therapy is a safe environment for people with pain, injuries, and even after surgery. Whether your condition is acute or chronic, water allows you to move while being supported. Water’s natural properties set the stage for a therapeutic environment.
Buoyancy helps alleviate the pain associated with arthritis by providing a gentle decompression of the joints. Most degenerative conditions in the spine and lower extremities feel relief from this decompression, allowing pain-free movement and exercise.
Water’s buoyant properties help support you, leading to weight offloading and reducing pain in the affected joints. Buoyancy makes balance and gait work safer because any fall in the water is more effortless for a therapist to deal with.
In deeper water, you can design exercises that challenge more muscle groups, all while the patient wears a flotation belt and holds weights. If necessary, you can also achieve modest spinal traction to relieve pressure between the vertebrae by allowing the lower body to hang while keeping your head above the water.
Water’s hydrostatic pressures create mild compression, which can help recovery after a strenuous workout and help reduce swelling in the joints related to an injury. In addition, water has a built-in resistance which increases as you move faster or use jets to create more challenges and modify routines as needed.
The benefits of aquatic therapy make it an effective way to implement exercise training to improve your function and help you get back to an active lifestyle.
What can I anticipate from aquatic therapy?
Regardless of the cause of your aches and pains, physical therapy plays a significant role and should be the first step. At Maximum Rehabilitation Services, our therapists often incorporate aquatic therapy to help you live a better life.
Here’s how aquatic therapy can help:
Pain Relief
Aquatic therapy is one of the most effective tools to combat painful conditions. The natural properties of water provide a supportive environment that our therapists can modify with floats or currents to assist your ability to move. As a result, it can help with the treatment of a variety of conditions.
People with arthritis, chronic pain, lower back pain, and injuries can all benefit from this therapy.
Buoyancy
Buoyancy is essentially what causes an object (i.e., our bodies) to float, reducing the effects of gravity and the risk of falling while exercising.
This natural property of water helps to support the body while relieving the pressure through your joints. As a result, working out in the water is less painful.
Hydrostatic pressure
Hydrostatic pressure is the force water has on objects below the surface. This pressure helps to facilitate the movement of built-up fluid in the body.
For example, fluid in the knee (aka swelling) is improved with aquatic therapy. It is also helpful for circulation and improving edema due to cardiovascular disease.
Resistance
The natural resistance of the water can be used to challenge or assist movements.
Accelerating a current of water against a movement makes the muscles and body work harder. You can also increase resistance by increasing the speed of your movements while submerged in water.
Increasing turbulence (aka making waves) is another way to make an activity in the pool more challenging. Your therapist will use the natural properties of water to help you progress safely.
If you choose to direct the flow of water with a movement, it can reduce the difficulty of an exercise. You can also use floats to support the body and assist movements, thereby reducing the strain.
Relaxation and improved breathing
Water, especially warm water, offers a soothing/relaxing environment for sore muscles and joints. It is a great way to calm tension and create a safe environment where people can feel good, often for the first time in days or weeks. For some people, this will assist in relaxing them mentally as well.
The pressure naturally present in water can make your breathing muscles work a little harder, which serves as an exercise, and as a result, you will be able to breathe more easily on land.
What are the advantages of Chicago, IL, Evergreen Park, IL and Munster, IN aquatic therapy?
Aquatic physical therapy can benefit individuals with the most painful conditions, including arthritis, back pain, and post-operative conditions. All programs will be tailored to address your specific individual needs.
At your first appointment, you will be evaluated thoroughly. We will discuss your condition and how aquatic therapy could help you achieve your goals. Your therapist will use the water’s natural properties to create an exercise program that safely challenges you without disrupting your progress.
The buoyancy of water naturally decompresses your joints to alleviate any pain while allowing for movement and exercise without the struggles that come with land-based exercises and gravity.
Some aquatic therapy benefits include:
- Reducing stress on your joints while allowing for increased mobility
- Increasing muscular strength and endurance
- Assisting with weight bearing and gait progressions
- Improving coordination and balance in a safe environment free from falls
- Increasing aerobic capacity for better health
- Reducing stress and promoting relaxation
Aquatic therapy provides a safe, comfortable, and therapeutic alternative for patients with difficulty exercising on land. Our team of research-based physical therapists will often incorporate specific exercises in and out of the water that improves your function without aggravating your pain.
Are you living with aches and pains or dealing with stiff joints from arthritis?
Aquatic therapy could be the solution!
Aquatic therapy is a form of physical therapy that uses the benefits of water as part of a therapeutic intervention. The inherent properties of water, including buoyancy, hydrostatic pressure, and natural resistance, makes aquatic-based exercises efficient and effective for alleviating pain and improving strength and mobility, all while maintaining or improving your overall fitness.
All pool-based exercises are performed under the direction of a licensed physical therapist trained to use the physical properties of water to assist in your recovery. This type of therapy is particularly beneficial for aching joints.
Our aquatic therapy programs are designed to improve your mobility, strength, postural awareness, coordination, and endurance. Your therapist will create an exercise program to safely challenge you without provoking your pain.
To learn more about aquatic therapy, contact Maximum Rehabilitation Services as soon as possible to schedule an appointment. Our staff is also available to guide you through everything you need to know about water therapy treatments and if they are right for you!
Are you ready to unlock relief?
Contact a Chicago, IL, Evergreen Park, IL and Munster, IN physical therapy office right away!
Are you tired of being slowed down by aches and pains in your joints? Are you looking for a way to move without gravity bearing down on you? Aquatic therapy might be the choice that is right for you!
Your Next Steps…
Request An Appointment
Receive A Custom Treatment Plan
Work Hard and Progress In Your Recovery
Recover & Enjoy Life Pain-Free!