Often, people suffer from pain due to reasons like injuries or health conditions. Most of the times, they try to ignore treating their aches for not having to go through any extreme medications. So, the pain increases and affects their physical and mental health as well.
Physical therapy is widely known to heal all aches, injuries, and relieves most of the health conditions. There are various forms of physical therapy treatments, and aquatic therapy is one of them. It helps patients heal their pains effectively under the water. Also, it helps increase the range of motion and restores the function.
What Is Aquatic Therapy?
According to Hydroworx, “Aquatic therapy is a physical therapy that takes place in a pool or other aquatic environment under the supervision of a trained healthcare professional.” It is also known as hydrotherapy or water therapy as well.
Physical therapists who offer aquatic therapy are thoroughly trained and certified in the respective field. They give the treatment in a water pool that holds the temperature of around 92 degrees. They offer several exercises to patients under the water to help them relieve their pain and increase the flexibility. Aquatic therapy involves exercising in water.
Water has numerous healing characteristics, and it has been used by people for this purpose since ancient ages. It helps the patient relax and relieve the pain. Apart from curing aches and injuries, it also helps in releasing stress, anxiety, and helps people with depression.
Let us read on to know the wondrous advantages of Aquatic Therapy.
Increases The Joint Flexibility
People suffering from the joint pain can effectively benefit from aquatic therapy. The floating tendency involved in the treatment reduces the effects of gravity. As a result, it allows the joint to have an increased range of motion, which will alleviate the pain. Moreover, the affected part of the body will float on the water, and it will make it easier to have a pain-free movement. The warm water of the pool relaxes the muscle tension and reduces its soreness and stiffness.
Increases The Muscle Strength
Water is said to be 600-700 times resistive compared to the air. Therefore, when you exercise in the water, it will help you strengthen your weakened muscles. Due to the resistive characteristic of water, you cannot easily have the rapid movements, which contribute to helping you increase the strength in the pool.
Decreases Pain
An individual feels more comfortable in the water than on the ground while doing light movements or exercises. The warm water increases the blood supply to the sore muscles. As a result, the pain decreases to a great extent, relaxing them. Moreover, when the tension in the affected parts of the body decreases, it increases the comfort as well.
Helps Decrease The Abnormal Tone, Spasticity & Rigidity
During the therapy session, if the water in the pool is above 92 degrees, the hands-on techniques create a neutral warmth. It further reduces the increased tone due to neurological injury. Aquatic therapy thus helps patients with neurological injuries to regain their strength and flexibility and return to living a normal life.
Improves Balance
Physical therapists provide effective balancing techniques that work accurately to help patients improve their balance. The uniformity of water’s pressure and its buoyancy offers excellent support to your body. As a result, they have increased time with them to react without the fear of falling or getting hurt. Moreover, these experts offer excellent training programs to help regain the balance.
Resistance
One of the significant benefits of aquatic therapy is the resisting feature. Unlike air, water continually puts the pressure of resistance on the body. Also, you do not have to wear heavy floating equipment, which offers smooth movement of the body. When the body is forced to have a movement under pressure, it helps to tone them faster, and also reduces the pain.
Rebuilds Muscle Memory
When in the pool, you are forced to move more slowly because of water’s pressure. It allows the brain to thoroughly process the signals from your muscles, as it has more time. As a result, it is helpful in rebuilding muscle memory. If someone suffers from a neuromuscular condition or some other impairment, the water therapy makes the muscle re-education easier.
According to H2Orthopedic Physical Therapy, “Aquatic therapy sessions begin with a warm-up including walking and stretching and progress from low-level exercises to more advanced strengthening exercises as tolerated.”
Even outside aquatic therapy, exercising in water can be highly beneficial in strengthening muscles. Performing in water can give your muscles a full range of motion, which increases their flexibility, along with relieving the pain thereof.
Provides Easy Access
During regular physical therapy, the physical therapist can work on only one plane at a time because you lay on the table. However, during the aquatic therapy, they get the opportunity to swim around you and work on all your parts of the body. Therefore, they do not have to worry about turning you from side to side for performing the therapies. Aquatic therapy makes comfortable for both the patient and the experts to continue with the treatment.
Improves Circulation
When you are in the water, you are continually under the hydrostatic pressure, and your heart as well. Moreover, the water in the pool is usually, warmer, which promotes circulation. The increased blood circulation to the muscles and limbs triggers the healing process.
Aquatic therapy is beneficial to a wide range of patients in healing aches, injuries, and certain health conditions.
