Have you been struggling to find relief from your achy back or arthritic knees? Did you know that aquatic therapy is one of the most effective ways to deal with painful conditions? At Total Performance, our team of therapists uses the healing properties of water to help you get the relief you\’ve been looking for while improving your function at the same time!
Stiff, achy joints that don\’t work as well as they used to can make it hard to do your usual activities. Nagging back pain or persistent muscle soreness after an intense workout can make everyday tasks impossible.
Fortunately, aquatic therapy is an excellent solution to help with exercising regularly while reducing the strain on joints and sore muscles. Our physical therapists at Total Performance will guide you through an aquatic therapy program that helps alleviate your pain while improving your strength and overall fitness!
Call us today to request an appointment and see if aquatic therapy is right for you!
What makes aquatic therapy so beneficial for painful conditions?
Aquatic therapy is a form of physical therapy that uses the benefits of water as part of a therapeutic intervention. Exercises are performed under the direction of a licensed physical therapist trained to use the physical properties of water to assist in patient healing and exercise performance.
Your therapist will use the water\’s natural properties to create an exercise program that safely challenges you without provoking your pain. A physical therapist can increase the resistance of an exercise and make the movement more difficult by increasing the surface area of a person\’s body by adding paddles, noodles, and kickboards.
Your therapist can also manipulate the exercise intensity level by adding a current to the water. Currents that move in the same direction as a person\’s body makes it easier. In contrast, turbulent flow, which moves in the opposite direction of a person\’s body, makes it harder to move through the water and more challenging to balance while moving forward.
The benefits of water are significant for people dealing with lower back pain. Only 20% of your weight is supported by your spine when you\’re in chest-deep water. This makes it much less painful and easier to exercise your muscles, so we can help improve the strength of your core and lower back muscles without the strain of gravity.
At Total Performance, our treatments can also safely improve your pain with deep water spinal traction. The natural buoyancy of the water helps relieve pressure between the vertebrae and leads to lasting relief on land.
For people dealing with sore muscles, hydrostatic pressure compresses and moves the fluid in our body. Whether assisting the blood in circulating or moving the lymphatic fluid, aquatic therapy is an effective and safe place to exercise and help the body\’s recovery.
If you are looking for a solution to your aches and pains, aquatic therapy may be the perfect choice to help you feel better and get you moving better too!
What are some of the common conditions that benefit from aquatic therapy?
Water\’s natural properties set the stage for a therapeutic environment. Your therapist will start with a comprehensive evaluation and a movement assessment to identify all the factors contributing to your condition.
We will use this information to develop an individualized aquatic therapy program that includes targeted mobility work, strengthening, deep water traction, and other appropriate water-based techniques.
Aquatic therapy can combat the following conditions:
- Arthritis and other joint pains
- Lower back pain and sciatica
- Muscle weakness or post-surgical impairments
- Balance and gait challenges
- Recovery after workout
- Relaxation and stress management
Water\’s buoyant properties help support you, leading to an offloading of weight which reduces pain in the affected joints. The benefits of aquatic therapy make it an effective way to implement exercise training to improve your function and help you get back to an active lifestyle.
What to expect at your Total Performance aquatic therapy sessions
You will be evaluated at your initial physical therapy appointment, and one of our skilled therapists will discuss your treatment goals and care plan. If your therapist determines that aquatic therapy will aid your recovery, they will recommend that your follow-up sessions take place in the water to direct each treatment session.
Aquatic physical therapy can be beneficial for individuals with neuromuscular or musculoskeletal disorders. Typically, your session will start with a warm-up and progress into the exercises designed to address your particular injury or condition.
Aquatic therapy provides a safe, comfortable, and therapeutic alternative to gain strength and reduce pain for patients who have difficulty exercising on land.
Request an appointment today!
Contact Total Performance today if you suffer from aches and pains and want to learn more about how our aquatic therapy programs can help you find a pain-free way to exercise!
