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Aquatic Physical Therapy for a Tramatic Brain Injury

As with most physical therapy treatment programs, patients recovering from a traumatic brain injury will typically focus on increasing the body’s range of motion (ROM) and muscle strength. Due to specific joint weakness complications associated with brain injury, many patients will benefit from the use of aquatic physical therapy in place of more traditional therapeutic techniques.

  1. Initial Therapy

    • Depending on the severity of the injury, brain trauma therapy exercises can differ greatly from one patient to the next while still focusing on similar treatment goals. According to the University of Illinois College of Applied Health Sciences, aquatic therapy techniques have many benefits to the patient in comparison to traditional therapy techniques. These benefits include using properties of the water to facilitate functional range of motion, strengthening and progressive weightbearing; using properties of the water to assist in cardiovascular, cardiopulmonary, and musculoskeletal endurance; allows the patient to participate in activities that may not be possible on land due to the increased support that the water provides; and the effects of water may decrease impact on joints, decrease muscle spasm and assist with balance. Patients will typically first focus on strengthening leg and arm muscles with the assistance of a licensed physical therapist.

    Mid Therapy

    • As patients continue to improve in both ROM and strength, more advanced therapy exercises may be introduced. According to Melissa Lewis, a licensed physical therapist out of the University of West Virginia, basic exercises should be introduced to assess the patient’s baseline exercise tolerance, and then progressions can be developed for each consecutive session. The best indicator of the patient’s tolerance and when it is appropriate to progress would be the level of soreness the evening of and 1 to 2 days after the initial session. Advanced exercises can include leg squats and gait exercises while in the pool in order to facilitate an improved use of the limbs that may have been weakened by nerve damage as a result of traumatic brain injury. Again depending on the severity of the injury, therapy can be administered in either an inpatient or outpatient setting.

    Discharge and Home Therapy

    • While most brain injury patients will need to continuously exercise to maintain the level of ROM and strength earned while in therapy, many exercises can be completed at home and without the assistance of a swimming pool. Follow-up appointments with a general practitioner or neurologist may also be required periodically for the patient.

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