Do you ever find yourself leaning against a wall or a piece of furniture for support when standing up? Have you noticed that your walking style has changed due to knee, hip, or other joint pain? You may have a gait or balance problem if you nodded while reading those phrases that could benefit from aquatic therapy.
Water provides a soothing, supportive pressure to the body, allowing it to relax and reduce muscle tension. Gravity affects our balance and gait when we are not in the water. During water treatment, there is less weight applied to our primary joints, allowing for much smoother and easier mobility.
Aquatic and vestibular therapy can significantly reduce your symptoms and perhaps correct your gait or balance problem. If you’d like to learn more about how you can start improving your balance and gait condition, call Total Performance Physical Therapy in Hatfield today!
Have you heard of these gait and balance disorders?
Gait and balance are two different things, and so are disorders that affect them.
People with balance difficulties describe feeling as if they are ready to fall, wobbling when walking, and floating sensations. Blurred vision and dizziness are also typical symptoms.
Balance problems can be physical and mental because your brain may believe you are moving when you aren\’t. Changes in joint strength, mobility, and proprioception (the capacity to perceive where your joints are in space) all impact your balance.
A few balance disorders are Meniere’s disease, Vestibular Neuronitis, Perilymph Fistula, and Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).
Gait disorders cause abnormal movements in the way you walk and run, and these can become exaggerated with age. The likelihood of developing a gait problem rises with age. Older people are more likely to develop disorders that cause irregular gait and have weaker muscles, slower reactions, and poorer muscle coordination than younger people.
Gait disorders can also be caused by stroke, inner ear problems, foot conditions, or even something as simple as ill-fitting shoes. Propulsive gait, spastic gait, and scissored gait are all common gait disorders that aquatic therapy at Total Performance could help.
If you’re unsure whether any of these issues apply to you, a Total Performance Physical Therapy therapist can help to determine what your condition may be.
Aquatic therapy in Hatfield can help with gait and balance dysfunction
Gait and balance problems can be caused by various conditions and underlying causes. The vestibular system aids proprioception or your overall sense of where you are.
The vestibular system, which includes hundreds of nerve receptors in your joints as well as sensory nerves and fluid-filled chambers in the inner ear, is linked to numerous balance issues. Your balance is impacted when this system is thrown off.
Vestibular therapy aims to strengthen your entire vestibular system, including your eyesight, nerves, and muscles, to keep your balance. If you have BPPV, our therapists can teach you how to perform specialized movements to dislodge and shift the loose calcium debris to the proper areas of your ear.
If you’re having difficulties staying steady, you must seek assistance as soon as possible to avoid falling and harming yourself! One of the most effective treatments for balance and gait issues is aquatic therapy. Our physical therapists in town can teach you the best ways to enhance your balance and walking skills.
Your therapist will do a complete analysis of your balance and gait at your first appointment. From there, they’ll be able to pinpoint what is causing you to have trouble walking or remaining upright.
Gait retraining exercises can also be performed in the water, as well as strengthening activities like walking from one side of the pool to the other. This is something that requires more effort in the water than it does out of it because water has up to 12 times the resistance of air. Runners can benefit from this kind of therapy technique especially.
Your treatment program may involve a variety of stretches. Stretching is one of the easier treatments your physical and occupational therapist might suggest. It helps to improve your range of motion and flexibility, thus giving you more control over your movements. Stretching will also prevent your muscles from becoming too stiff or tight.
Let’s get you back on your feet; request an appointment in Hatfield today!
Does aquatic therapy sound like a treatment method that could benefit you? We think it just might!
The best way to find out if aquatic therapy can help you to feel more balanced and confident in your ability to remain independent is to contact us today for an appointment. Our therapists are skilled professionals who know how to diagnose and treat a variety of gait and balance problems, and yours will be no different!
