Water Therapy Exercise for the Back

Back pain may be relieved with water exercises that remove weight from the joints and increase mobility. Water exercises can also provide daily physical activity for those unable to participate in weight-bearing exercise because of back problems. Athletes are prescribed water exercise when there is an injury to the back or limbs that may restrict movements. The patient can continue cardiovascular exercise without risk of furthering the injury.

Swimming

• Swimming works a number of muscles without the strain that can come with land-based exercise. It takes the pressure off the spine and can give you greater range of motion. Swimmers can move back muscles without the pressure of gravity weighing them down.

  Swimming is a cardiovascular exercise that improves lung function and heart rate. Use care to not overwork your muscles while exercising in the water. It is easy to feel as though you are not exerting as much energy in the water, but overworking the muscles will still result in muscle strain.

  Moving through the water offers resistance to muscles, providing a workout for your entire body.

Water Aerobics

• Use water aerobics to keep up with cardiovascular exercise when suffering a back strain. Water aerobic classes are usually available at gyms with pools and YMCA locations. The exercises during a water aerobics class work to increase heart rate without straining the joints. Water aerobics actually burns more calories than land-based classes. Compare one half-hour session of land walking that burns 135 calories to one half-hour of deep-water walking, which burns 264 calories, according to diabetic-lifestyle.com.

  Some of the activities that you will be participating in during a water aerobics class are running or walking. The speed that you perform the exercise will determine your heart rate. Water aerobics has gotten a bad rap for being a less than challenging form of exercise, but nothing could be further from the truth. It may not feel as though you are exerting yourself because of the cooling effect of the water, but you will burn a significant amount of calories during a class.

Water Fitness

• Deep-water walking or jogging can support a sore back. This type of exercise is actually much more beneficial than working out on land. The number of calories burned during one of these activities is much greater than the amount burned on land. Jogging on land for 30 minutes will burn only 240 calories. According to diabetic-lifestyle.com, deep-water jogging completely immersed will burn 340 calories. Those who have back pain or a back injury can prevent becoming sedentary by performing their exercise routine in the water.

  Joggers with a back strain can get a strenuous workout in the water without the jarring effect that occurs on land.