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What is aquatic therapy and how is it beneficial?
Aquatic therapy is the least restrictive environment for therapists and patients to address impairments and progress towards goals. Aquatic therapy uses elements of water including buoyancy, turbulence, viscosity, and refraction to improve and encourage:
Cardiovascular health
Respiratory function
Muscle strengthening & Endurance
Balance & Coordination
Range of motion
Freedom of movement for individuals that are unable to tolerate land activities
Sensory Processing
Socialization
Cardiovascular health:
Hydrostatic pressure is the force that water has on our bodies the deeper we are emerged in water. This pressure increases blood return to the heart from our extremities.
Not only does hydrostatic pressure encourage increased blood flow, but it also assists to move fluids back to the heart for absorption or excretion. Edema “swelling” is a common result after surgery or injury that can affect patient function. This pressure will encourage and promote decreased edema throughout our affected limb(s)!
Respiratory function:
The pool promotes postural alignment of the spine optimizing lung function. When the body is submerged up to the upper trunk it decreases the vital capacity and expiratory reserve volume, both important characteristics of breathing. Decreased levels results in an increased amount of effort to breathe creating a conditioning effect. Research has shown a 60% increase in conditioning performing exercises with the upper trunk submerged in water vs exercises performed on land.
Muscle strengthening & Endurance:
Land activities can be difficult for some patients to sustain activity due to the ability of fighting gravity with most functional activities. Water is an easier environment for patients to perform repetition promoting increased exercise intensity, strengthening and endurance
The pool allows patients to focus on strengthening in proper alignment to facilitate proper muscle function.
Balance & Coordination:
The water is a safe place for patients to work on weight shifting to encourage righting reactions needed for improved postural control.
Water viscosity allows patients more time for reaction by allowing the body to receive feedback in order to generate an appropriate motor response to maintain/regain balance.
Unstable surfaces can be utilized in the pool to encourage weight shifting and further progress patients righting reactions to improve postural stability
The increased time for reaction allows patients the confidence to practice coordination skills in order to progress towards more fluidity of movement on land
Range of motion:
The weightless feeling patients experience paired with the therapeutic temperature of 90-92°F creates an ideal environment for therapists to obtain a true muscle stretch. Patients are better able to relax in the water and therapists are able to move patients bodies more easily than on land. This is optimal to achieve a good muscle stretch for improved posture and alignment.
Freedom of movement:
Some individuals may be unable to tolerate land based activity due to pain, tone, decreased stability or the need to heavily rely on durable medical equipment and/or orthotics for function limiting their motor performance.
Tone limits patients ability for fluid movement and normal muscle function, but weight bearing is the best way to “break up” tone to make movement more functional and possible. Patients with significant tone often have difficulty weight bearing on land, but due to buoyancy of water it makes weight bearing much easier to tolerate and perform.
Transitional movements can be difficult for patients on land due to gravity and tone. The pool encourages more kinesthetic and proprioceptive input for increased motor planning while decreasing the fear of movement.
Sensory processing:
The water provides increased sensory feedback compared to land activities due to the viscosity of the water.
Some individuals require increased input for sensory regulation, but are unable to perform these movements on land due to poor head control. The pool is able to provide increased vestibular input by bouncing and swaying in a quick motion by a trained medical professional.
The constant pressure and proprioceptive input of water provides a calming effect and can assist in desensitization to tolerate improved tolerance to touch on land.
Socialization:
The pool is a great environment for patients to focus on feeding, speech and language, socialization and sensory processing
Implementing speech therapy in the pool encourages patients to have increased attention to task and be more engaged with therapeutic activities.
Blowing tools to use in the water increases lip closure that is necessary for optimal speech and language
Aquatic therapy gives parents the ability to share with their child the joy of more independent movement! Aquatic therapy is a great tool for patients to make progress and improve function.
Contact Better Days Therapies physical therapist for more information to see if aquatic therapy is right for you or your loved one!
706-840-0369 or Jlanford@betterdaystherapies.com
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