The Benefits of Aquatic Therapy for Summertime Healing

If you find traditional land-based physical therapy out of your league, you can make aquatic therapy your best friend. If you are an aquaphilia, aquatic therapy healing may be all you need this summer. So, what’s aquatic therapy? Let’s find out.

What is aquatic therapy?

Aquatic therapy (AT) is a type of physical therapy performed in the pool/underwater. The therapy uses the resistance of water to treat countless medical conditions.

Aquatic therapy is much easier to perform than physical therapy due to the physical properties of water, like hydrostatic pressure, drag force, thermal conductivity, and so on. For instance, aquatic therapy is suitable for the elderly with arthritis and joint pain, as exercises performed underwater are easier to follow. The gravitational pull underwater is lesser, enabling elderlies to perform the exercises with minimal effort.

Who should go for aquatic therapy? 

Aquatic therapy is suitable for people of all age groups. It helps cure chronic conditions like arthritis, autism, balance disorders, depression, and lower back pain.

Any medical condition requiring pain reduction and improving overall body mobility is suitable for aquatic therapy.

What are its benefits?

Aquatic therapy healing has several benefits. It’s more of a bliss in the summertime. Here is what aquatic therapy healing does to your body:

Relaxes the muscles

One of the top benefits of aquatic therapy is that it performs magic on the body’s muscles. AT is performed in warm water, which acts as a soothing balm for sore and tired muscles. As the blood flow in the body increases due to warm water, the stored lactic acid (responsible for sore muscles) is flushed away, immediately allowing the tensed muscles to relax.

Furthermore, AT also reduces the chances of accidental muscle injuries like muscle spasms and muscle tears.

Enhance mobility and balance

Aquatic therapy is known to help kids and persons with autism. The reason is that water’s physical properties help build better mobility and balance. The water’s buoyancy helps patients stay well-balanced and keeps their body movements in coordination when performing exercises underwater.

As per research based on the effects of aquatic therapy on children with autism spectrum, it was found that AT had significant improvements in their physical and behavioral competence. The therapy sessions also directly impacted their motor skills and social behaviors.

Not only for kids with autism, but AT is also helpful to elderlies in regaining their lost body movement. Due to the water’s buoyancy, patients who find it harder to perform exercises on land can move their bodies much easier underwater. Also, there are fewer chances for patients to fall/trip.

Heals injuries that cause pain

Aquatic therapy is also beneficial for medical conditions that cause severe pain. The warmth of the water acts therapeutically, helping patients to deal with shoulder pain, back pain, and other pains caused due to stiff muscles.

The hydrostatic pressure of water also tends to help patients deal with the pain effectively.

Water exerts more pressure on the body than air. This compresses the muscles and thus provides relief from chronic body aches.

Another reason why aquatic therapy is helpful in pain is that it improves blood circulation in the body. When the body receives proper interrupted blood flow, it helps relax the muscles and eases body pain.

A study based on the effectiveness of aquatic therapy mentions that only aquatic therapy has long-term benefits regarding pain management. The research further studies the effect of aquatic therapy on fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and how pool-based exercises have a long-lasting effect on FMS.

Initiates swelling to go down

There are many diseases treated by physical therapy, but not all methods are as painless as aquatic therapy. Aquatic therapy can effectively decrease the swelling resulting from edema, hormonal changes, or fluid retention. The warm water acts as a catalyst for recovery.

The warmth of the water enables fluid drainage around the swelling body part, aiding in quick healing. Hydrostatic pressure, one of water’s physical properties, decreases swelling. This pressure acts perpendicular to the body’s surface, thereby reducing swelling.

Refreshes the body

On top of everything, aquatic physical therapy overall provides a refreshing feeling. The aquatic therapy healing therapists ensure the patient feels relaxed and enjoys the therapeutic process.

Apart from relieving the said medical condition, the activities involved during aquatic therapy make it more enjoyable and entertaining than land physical therapies.

RGV Physical Therapy

You are just one step away from curing chronic medical conditions like osteoarthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, and more if you go for aquatic therapy healing in Rio Grande Valley. We are one of the leading physical therapy providers in RGV, providing services like aquatic therapy, fall prevention and balance training, arthritis management, and more. Contact us today to learn more.