All Backed Together Awareness Document 7-17-2013: (Aquatic Therapy): We all have been in a pool during the course of our life to cool down during the summer and have fun. But does that same thing that brings us fun times, build our bodies to be stronger? Yes. If you were one who watched the previous Olympics which was in London, you saw what water can do in that the competitive swimmers have to be in really good shape and are able to get those “ripped” muscles as some would say. For those who are in need to recovery from an injury, surgery, or degenerative changes of their body the pool can give life back to a patient. When rehabbing or training in a pool, there is far less pressure put on the body. Aquatic therapy does not mean that every pool or every body of water is their playground to recover. In fact to be therapeutic the pool is to be at a constant 94 degrees. That temperature allows the body to relax and instantaneously allows the patient to perform stretches and exercises. Those with painful joints will benefit highly from warm temperature. Instead of using weights which put a lot of pressure on joints as well as other areas of your body depending on which muscle you are working out, aquatic therapy uses water resistance. The gravity effect also plays a big role in aquatic therapy. When outside of a pool a patient who weights 150lbs is far less when submerged in water that is chest deep. When a patient is chest deep in the water weight is reduced by 75%. If you would like to have a little less assistance, while waist deep your weight is reduced by 50%. All of this means more than just numbers. Take for instance a person recovering from a spinal surgery and needs to gain strength back in their legs and back. The deep end is where the patient will start off doing light exercises and walking laps back and forth. If an underwater treadmill is available, a patient may have a slight edge over one who does not as no twisting or turning is required once the other side of the pool is reached. As muscles are recovering a patient may experience spasms and one way to heal those spasms and controls the severity is in fact to be in the water. The constant sensation will help the body become prone to certain feelings and when relieved of spasms life can be a whole lot easier. After weeks or months of training, a patient can be restored to pre injury/surgical condition and even possibly better shape. Continuing in the pool on a steady regiment will maintain normal movement and improve joint health. One aspect that is not known to many is that a pool can make you emotionally and mentally stronger as well. Speaking from personal experience as one who was inspired by aquatic therapy, the pool still brings me a full smile every time I step in to do my routine. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a must and taking a preventative step to ensure recovery is important. I will continue to focus on aquatic therapy to not only explore different exercises but the importance of why aquatic therapy should be the gold standard of recovering.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 17:21:51 +0000
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