Properties Of Water
Water provides a buoyancy when the body is submerged which assists in supporting the weight of the patient. The viscosity of water also provides an excellent source of resistance which is incorporated in Aquatic Therapy.
Gallery
See what it might be like during an Aquatic Therapy class or during a one on one with an instructor.
About The Benefits of Aquatic Therapy
This sport provides a large decrease in the amount of weight bearing on joints, which provides a reduction in pain. Looking for a less painful way to exercise this is it. Aquatic therapy is also known to decrease swelling and improve joint position awareness. The participant will gain a increase in mobility and natural resistance. Another benefit to consider is that people who are prone to loosing balance or falling now don't have to worry about that while exercising in the water because they will not get hurt.
Pregnancy
Aquatic therapy is an ideal environment for exercise, rehab, and conditioning and the properties found in water make it a healthy choice for pregnant women. Weight bearing is a huge factor that makes getting exercise while pregnant very difficult and also painful most of the time. By the water reducing the compression on the spine and joints meanwhile strengthening muscles lifting, bending and other house hold chores become easier and much more tolerable for new moms. Aquatic therapy also provides hydrostatic pressure which reduces swelling and enhances blood circulation which is necessary in pregnancy.
Child Development
In many studies conducted pertaining to the delays in development or disorders that affected a child’s development, aquatic therapy was shown to have a significant improvement on their performance.
Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
- Developmental Coordination Disorder affects at least 5% of children and is 3-4 times more likely in boys than girls. DCD is a disorder that is displayed when a child demonstrates motor skills that are beneath those for their age. This disorder can affect a child’s performance in both gross and fine motor skills which can include a reduction in running, jumping, agility, and balance.
- In a study conducted by the University of South Australia, they discovered that aquatic therapy can have benefits on the children’s motor skills. This study included children from 5-8 years of age and showed signs of DCD who participated in aquatic therapy for 30 minutes weekly, for a 6-8 week period.
Children with Hypotonia
- Hypotonia is the most common disorder in newborns. In children, Hypotonia causes them to have a reduction in their muscle tone. This can cause children to not be able to support themselves. Their neck cannot support their head and their legs cannot support their weight. This can cause a child to have developmental delays in skills such as walking or even sitting upright.
- In a study conducted at Quinnipiac University, they discovered that aquatic therapy had a beneficial effect on children 36-60 months who were diagnosed with hypotonia. Children in this study engaged in aquatic therapy for 45 minutes weekly for seven weeks. After the intervention, the children showed significant improvement in their motor skills.
Mental Health Benefits
Aquatic therapy has shown to create positive effects on certain factors that influence mood and/or quality of life.
The study titled “Effects of aquatic exercise on mental health, functional autonomy and oxidative stress in depressed elderly individuals: A randomized clinical trial” included ninety two individuals with clinically diagnosed depression. The subjects of this experiment participated in aquatic therapy for twelve weeks, which included two weekly sessions at low intensity. Low intensity includes fifty to sixty percent of maximum heart rate or Borg scales of 13 to 14. These sessions were also about 45 minutes each. The results were then measured after twelve weeks. After these twelve weeks, “the following scores were decreased after training in the depressed group: depression (53%), anxiety (48%)”. In conclusion, “the aquatic exercise program reduces depression and anxiety, improves functional autonomy and decreases oxidative stress in depressed elderly individuals.”
Silva LAD;Tortelli L;Motta J;Menguer L;Mariano S;Tasca G;Silveira GB;Pinho RA;Silveira PCL; (n.d.).
Effects of aquatic exercise on mental health, functional autonomy and oxidative stress in depressed elderly individuals: A randomized clinical trial. Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31271585/.
Improved Fitness
Aquatic Therapy takes away that added physical pressure that land therapy places on otherwise inactive adults.
Why Choose Aquatic Therapy?
Find out why aquatic therapy is beneficial to many individuals to complete their rehabilitation and how it could have much more benefits than regular physical therapy.