Aquatic therapy provides a comfortable and therapeutic medium for gaining strength and endurance. In an aquatic environment, our physical therapists use water’s unique properties to help patients recover from injury and manage chronic conditions.

How the Properties of Water Help Our Patients Exceed

Buoyancy – Depending on the depth (how much of the body is submerged), a person in the water reduces weight/pressure. This helps with therapy for arthritic joints, pressure on the discs within the spine, and those with weight-bearing issues. The buoyancy also allows an assisted range of motion to help regain movement.

Hydrostatic Pressure – The more you submerge a body part in the water, the more pressure the water puts on it. This can help with swelling, circulation, breathing (along with cardiac output), and dull nerve endings (especially neuropathy and fibromyalgia).

Viscosity – The natural resistance you get when moving the body in the water. It provides the much-needed strengthening aspect of therapy. The biggest control factor from viscosity is the speed while performing the exercise (slower = easier, faster = more challenging).

Temperature – The water is controlled from 90-92°, which allows an active heat component to promote decreased tension, more muscle extensibility, relaxation, and pain relief.

Drag – The water’s resistance to the body that is moving allows a strengthening activity, whether it is step-ups, walking, or jumping. Turbulence (a type of form drag) can impact the exercise and challenge proprioception.

What are the benefits of aquatic therapy?

• Decrease Tension/Pain and Joint/Disc Pressure
• Increase Functional Mobility
• Increase Muscle Strength and Endurance
• Improve Gait
• Increase Joint Range of Motion and Muscle Flexibility
• Increase Core Stability
• Improve Cardiac Output and Aerobic Conditioning
• Improve Balance, Coordination, and Proprioception
• Improve Posture
• Reduce Swelling and Improve Circulation