Aquatic Therapy

“People with disabilities are often caught in a cycle of pain, depression, and stress. Disability can lead to social isolation, an external locus of control (believing that one does not have choice or possess control of one’s destiny), and the belief that exercise and fitness is impossible for them. Aquatic therapy is able to break this chronic pain cycle largely because of the unique properties of water.”

- Sandy Overman, CTRS

Aquatic therapy is a technique that uses the natural buoyancy of water to reduce stress on the body and allow patients to exercise that may have difficulty or be unable to exercise “on land” with the restraints of gravity. The natural pressure of water within therapy pools helps to reduce joint pain and soft-tissue swelling, allowing patients to avoid pain during exercise. This allows them to strengthen muscles, increase range of motion and avoid deconditioning. Deconditioning is a term that refers to the loss of fitness or muscle tone especially through lack of exercise (Overman, 2009).

Submersion decreases weight bearing by up to 90% when submerged in neck deep water, so an individual who is unable to support their body weight on land is often able to walk with minimal support in the pool.

Aquatic therapy may be right for you if you have:

• Difficulty walking or limited weight-bearing capacity

• Fibromyalgia

• Extremity injuries, which prevent regular conditioning on normal surfaces or in athletic participation

• Spinal dysfunction, which prevents exercise on normal surfaces due to pain, immobility and/or compression

• Arthritis

• Pregnancy-related musculoskeletal pain

• Total hip/knee/joint replacements

• Unsuccessful attempts at land-based therapy (Aquatic Therapy (Hydrotherapy), 2015

If you think you’d be a good candidate for aqua therapy, call Campbell County Health Rehabilitation Services Physical Therapy at 307-688-8000 or visit our website for more information on our services and your options to a happy, healthier and more limber, you.

References

Aquatic Therapy (Hydrotherapy). (2015, July 29). Www.atipt.com. https://www.atipt.com/aquatic-therapy-hydrotherapy

Overman, S. (2009, May 19). Why Aquatic Therapy? BrainLine. https://www.brainline.org/article/why-aquatic-therapy