Aquatic physical therapy is a type of therapy that focuses, obviously, on exercising in water. This kind of physical therapy is especially advisable for people who have difficulty with weight lifting exercises because of recent fractures, sprains, weight, or arthritis. Aquatic physical therapy has a number of benefits that do not exist in exercises on land. The benefits of exercising in water are numerous though in some cases it is not advisable to be used. Exercising in water is especially good for those whose tolerance of exercising on land is reduced because of painful joints of the spine, knee, or hips. Water offers assistance and resistance during the exercises which help the patient progress through the different stages of the activity and allow them to strengthen increasingly.
Exercising in water is especially good for those whose tolerance of exercising on land is reduced because of painful joints of the spine, knee, or hips.
Through using water physical therapy, you can build your strength in the weak or injured muscles. The movements and exercises in aquatic physical therapy are done gradually. They start as an initial phase meant to assist only. Then when some strength is acquired, the exercises are modified to occur in a pattern of non-resistance. Finally, the exercises will be to resist the force of the water. This progress would be hard to get while exercising on land.
Besides making recovery after injury easier, aquatic physical therapy also helps the healing process if it is the case. How does aquatic physical therapy contribute to the healing process? Simply through the fact that while exercising in warm water, blood vessels undergo a process of vasodilation which will increase the flow of the blood to the injury, and, implicitly, the quantity of oxygen that reaches the injured tissue. As a result, the healing of this tissue is faster.
Patients who suffer from arthritis, stiff joints, obesity, muscle spasms, back pain, or fibromyalgia benefit from aquatic physical therapy since water unloads the extremities of the patients who use it.
Aquatic physical therapy is useful for many categories of conditions. Patients who suffer from arthritis, stiff joints, obesity, muscle spasms, back pain, or fibromyalgia benefit from water physical therapy since water unloads the extremities of the patients who use it. However, it is important for you to know that this kind of therapy does not fit quite everyone. For instance, people who have a cardiac condition, people who have infections, bowel/bladder incontinence, or fever should not participate in water physical therapy since this could be harmful to them. It is advisable that you speak to your physician before entering an aquatic therapy program.
Watch PT Assistant Hollie Ibarra work with Noah in the pool.
If you want to learn more about this type of therapy or others please contact Dr. Jaclyn at (702)620-3124 or send us a message by CLICKING HERE
