Aquatic Physical Therapy Aquatic Therapy

This week at Aspire Hospital, our blog post is focusing on physical therapy, specifically aquatic physical therapy.

Each week we will concentrate on a different department or service we offer at Aspire Hospital, area of medicine, healthcare news items, or event in our community.

What is Aquatic Physical Therapy?

A growing number of physical therapists are turning to aquatic physical therapy to treat patients with a myriad health conditions. At Aspire Hospital, we also offer this treatment to our patients.

AquaticPT.org defines aquatic physical therapy as the following, “evidence-based and skilled practice of physical therapy in an aquatic environment by a physical therapist, or a physical therapist assistant under the supervision of a physical therapist.”

Aquatic physical therapy includes but is not limited to treatment, rehabilitation, prevention, health, wellness and fitness of patient/client populations in an aquatic environment with or without the use of assistive, adaptive, orthotic, protective, or supportive devices and equipment (AquaticPT.org).

According to PTinMotion.com, “patients who exercised in the pool reported less fatigue and developed more physical endurance than those who trained in the gym.”

They also reported that on the endurance shuttle walk test, patients who’d exercised in water outpaced the gym trainers by 228 meters (748 feet).

Water therapy has been shown to help:

  • joint pain and stiffness
  • muscle spasms
  • back pain
  • osteoarthritis
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • fibromyalgia
  • lymphedema
  • systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
  • multiple sclerosis
  • chronic fatigue syndrome
  • balance disorders
  • and much more

Benefits of Water:

  • allows for non-weight-bearing or limited weight-bearing exercises
  • promotes relaxation
  • decreases muscle spasms
  • increases range of motion
  • improves circulation
  • increases the efficiency of the respiratory system and cardiac output
  • decreases edema and muscle lactate

For more information on aquatic therapy, please contact Aspire Hospital today.