Benefits of Aquatic Therapy
Aquatic therapy is an excellent therapeutic lowimpact activity for individuals of all abilities. Aquatic therapy activities can be done in either indoor or outdoor pool facilities and consist of cardiovascular endurance and conditioning exercises. These include walking, jogging, jumping, swimming, kicking, and other continuous rhythmic activities that elevate metabolism and improve cardiovascular function.
Benefits of Aquatic Therapy
- Improves muscle tone and strength.
- Improves endurance.
- Increases cardiovascular function.
- Improves self esteem.
- Reduction in gravitational force provides therapeutic benefits.
- Provides psychological benefits.
- Overall improvement in quality of life.
- Increased circulation, endurance, flexibility, range of motion, balance, and coordination.
Buoyancy
- Acts as support for the spine or extremity that may be weakened due to disease, injury, surgery, or immobilization.
- Makes it possible for people to achieve a position of comfort for exercise not possible on land.
- Flotation devices and "noodles" (pictured above) help individuals with disabilities maintain buoyancy.
Benefits of Shallow Water Walking
- Increased metabolism and strength.
- Reduction of muscles that have atrophied due to injury, illness, or general use.
- Improved balance and coordination.
- Recreation and socialization.
- Water walking requires no swimming ability, which makes it possible for non-swimmers to participate.
Benefits of Deep Water Running
- Reduction in force to joints makes this activity mostly pain free.
- Mainly used for back rehabilitation programs to develop muscular and cardiovascular endurance.
Benefits of Hydrostatic Pressure
- Helps reduce blood pressure in those with hypertension while exercising in the water due to the effects of hydrostatic pressure.
- Edema of lower extremities is relieved during physical activity in water.
- Aquatic therapy also has been shown to reduce levels of spasticity among individuals undergoing rehabilitation.
