How Aquatic Therapy Can Help Patients

Aquatic therapy is also known as pool therapy; it’s an exercise program that you perform in the water. It uses the physical and scientific qualities of water to help with the healing of patients and provide exercise. The buoyancy of water is a key factor to this.

Buoyancy is essentially the ability for things to float. And when in an above ground lap pool, a therapy pool, or any other type of pool, this is important for your joints. The water can decrease the amount of weight, which lessens the force and amount of stress that it places on the joints. This is particularly helpful for patients dealing with arthritis, who are overweight, or who are healing broken or fractured bones. By lowering the joint stress on a patient, it will be easier for that patient to exercise, and to encounter less pain while doing it.

Having an affordable therapy pool allows you to capitalize on the benefits. The water provides a great source of resistance which easily can be included in an exercise program focusing on aquatic therapy. That resistance can allow for muscles to strengthen without needing the use of weights. Using resistance and combining it with the buoyancy of water can allow a patient to build muscles with less stress on joints.

Another positive about pool therapy is that it can utilize hydrostatic pressure in order to reduce swelling and increase awareness of joint positions. Another result is that proprioception is improved in the patient. It’s important for people who have experienced sprained joints, and also those with torn ligaments, when proprioception decreases. Hydrostatic pressure also can assist in lowering soft tissue and joint swelling that can be the result of injuries or an arthritic disorder.

A final and particularly therapeutic benefit of aqua therapy is the relaxation of muscles. Patients that experience back pain or muscle spasms have said they felt great after pool therapy. You can use aquatic therapy to get back to your normal movements and routines.

If you’re interested in learning how a therapy pool can help you or someone you know recover, please feel free to give us a call so that we may discuss the best iPool option for you!