Water provides an environment for healing.

Aquatic therapy is an excellent way to rehabilitate any injury. The unique physical properties of water provide an ideal healing environment for therapy. The buoyancy of water reduces the effect of gravity, allowing you to exercise in more comfort and achieve your rehabilitation goals more quickly by minimizing pain that can sometimes be felt in your joints during exercise.

Aquatic physical therapy uses the properties of water to improve strength, range of motion, flexibility, pain, ability to walk and overall function using paddles, floats, or weights increases the intensity of the exercises. Exercising in water helps your body heal by reducing inflammation and swelling – especially in the ankles and knees – and increases circulation in muscle groups. Water also provides some resistance to movement, which makes exercises challenging while helping to build your muscle tone and strength.

Methods of therapy

  • Using buoyancy to offload a painful joint such as a knee with arthritis. Or if you have restrictions on how much weight you are allowed to put on your leg after surgery, the buoyancy will help hold you up while you work on strengthening.
  • Using the thickness of the water (viscosity) to work on balance—this gives someone more time to catch them self if they feel like they are going to fall (and the therapist is next to them).
  • Using the warm water (thermal effects) to increase the blood flow to muscles which will improve flexibility and pain.
  • Using the support of the water (hydrostatic pressure) to improve pain while strengthening the back muscles. This support also may improve your leg swelling by helping your leg veins.
  • Using the resistance of the water (drag or turbulence) to build muscle strength.

Additional total body benefits include increased endurance and cardiovascular fitness as well as improved balance and coordination.

Aquatic therapy can improve your endurance throughout the day, help you to relax for stress management and improve your overall quality of life. A skilled physical therapist will provide a detailed evaluation in the clinic to assess if aquatic PT would beneficial for you and your goals.