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Water & Sport Physical Therapy

Water is an ideal medium for sports physical therapy. Commonly called aquatic therapy, exercises are performed while in the water. Therapy in the water provides many benefits that land therapy does not. The buoyancy of the water takes weight off of the joints of the spine, knee and hips. This is especially helpful for those who have sustained injuries and cannot tolerate land work due to joint pain. Water also provides flotation assistance and resistance that help to increase strength.

No swimming is required for aquatic therapy. Exercises can be performed with the feet on the bottom of the pool or by holding onto the side of the pool, or using a flotation device. Water is a safe environment for rehabilitating a sports injury.

  1. Get Back on Your Feet

    • Water therapy can help with healing of injuries.

      In water, there is a reduction of gravitational forces. This can allow an athlete to stand, begin walking or gait training and start strengthening exercises without causing further damage to healing limbs. An aquatic therapist can introduce many exercises in the pool that would be difficult at best on land. Stepping up and down off of a step in the pool is much easier on the joints than on land. An injured athlete can even get off his feet entirely, by using a flotation belt and working in a suspended position.

    Water promotes healing

    • Water therapy also promotes healing at the site of an injury. When exercising in warm water, vasodilation occurs in the blood vessels. This increases blood flow to the injury site and results in a better oxygen delivery and healing of damaged tissues.

    Relax

    • Aquatic therapy is almost always done in a warm pool, which is between 88 to 94 degrees. The warm water helps the muscles to relax and increases peripheral circulation. Better circulation promotes faster healing.

    Balance and Stability

    • Warm water stimulates body awareness, stability and core strength. An athlete is also able to work on balance in the water, without fear of falling or sustaining an injury. Balance work is a highlight of water therapy, the moving water forces the body to work on staying balanced at all times, and the water also helps to hold a person up.The water also increases buoyancy which can help with pain. The less weight that is bearing down on an injury, the less pain there will be.

    Viscosity

    • The viscosity of water makes it ideal for strength training. The water will resist movement in the water, so even just moving a limb back and forth will strengthen it in the water. Adding aqua belles or a noodle will make the movement even more strenuous. Maintaing muscular strength while injured is difficult for athletes, and training in the water can help to keep that strength

    DIfferent and fun

    • Water therapy is different that other forms of land-based physical therapy. Just being in a different environment can improve the morale of an injured athlete. Water is a very positive element in which to conduct therapy. Almost any move can be successful in the water.

      The equipment used in a therapy pool is often not what it was intended for originally. A foam noodle, a kickboard and a playground ball are all tools that an aquatic therapist may utilize for a patient. Having an unconventional object to use for therapy provides a fun way for an injured athlete to recover from an injury.

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