The pool can bring people many fun benefits. You can swim in the pool as a way to relax on the weekend, beat the summer heat and have fun with friends. But did you know that you can use the pool to improve your health with physical therapy?
Physical therapy can help you heal from injuries, surgery and medical conditions so that you can complete your day-to-day tasks with less pain. It can also improve your body’s overall strength, flexibility and range of motion.
While many may think that physical therapy only takes place on the floor inside of a clinic room, it can actually take place in the water as well. But what are the benefits of doing physical therapy in a pool? That’s what we’re here to answer.
Read on to learn the basics of physical therapy in a pool, what it can treat and the benefits it can offer.
What is physical therapy within a pool?
Physical therapy in a pool is known as aquatic therapy. It involves doing exercises and techniques in a heated therapy pool as a way to help people recover and rehabilitate from injuries as well as medical condition symptoms, such as chronic pain and reduced mobility.
The physical therapist may use their hands to help you facilitate exercises and techniques, but they will also guide you through movements that you perform yourself.
Aquatic therapy is an effective treatment option for many people because the reduced gravity allows you to unload your body weight, which decreases the pressure on your joints.
It can help treat people with a variety of injuries and medical conditions that are interfering with their quality of life, including:
- Arthritis.
- Fibromyalgia.
- Multiple sclerosis.
- Shoulder pain.
- Lower back pain.
- Hip pain.
- Knee pain.
- Ankle pain.
- Post-surgery rehabilitation.
- Strains and sprains.
5 benefits of doing physical therapy in a pool
There are a variety of benefits that you can take advantage of through aquatic therapy. From decreasing pain to improving your body’s overall function, doing physical therapy in a pool can help you tackle your condition from every angle.
- Increased joint flexibility — The buoyancy provided by physical therapy in a pool gives you the ability to move freely and increase your body’s range of motion, especially in your joints. Not only does increased mobility allow the joints to properly function during movement, but it also reduces the risk of future injury.
- Improved muscle strengthening — Muscle weakness is common for people who have sustained an injury, struggle with medical condition symptoms or have been inactive due to recovering from surgery. The gentle resistance from the water can help strengthen your muscles during the exercises. By improving your muscle strength, you can decrease the pressure on your joints that can contribute to your pain.
- Pain management — Therapy pools are filled with warm water, and heat can help relax tight muscles and surrounding tissue that are causing you pain. The warm water promotes blood circulation to move along the healing process. It can also help reduce joint stiffness to increase your range of motion.
- Improved balance — For people that struggle with balance and gait disorders, aquatic therapy allows them to work on balance training without the risk of falling and sustaining an injury. It improves coordination because your body is constantly reacting and responding to the water’s movement.
- Accessibility — The decreased gravity provided by a pool allows people of all ages and physical capabilities to complete exercises that they may not be able to do on land. By reducing the pressure on your joints and muscles, aquatic therapy allows people of all fitness levels to get the treatment they need. Many of the exercises don’t even require additional equipment!
Alliance PTP can connect you with a clinic near you that offers physical therapy in a pool
Aquatic therapy requires a designated pool, which isn’t available at every physical therapy clinic. The good news is that we can put you in touch with those that do so that you can get your treatment started.
At Alliance Physical Therapy Partners, we can find physical therapy practices across the country that offer physical therapy in a pool to ensure you get the treatment you need.
When you’re ready to see a therapist for aquatic therapy, we can put you in touch with an Alliance PTP partner that’s close to you and that can help you get started in the pool for the treatment you need.
Come find help for your injury or chronic condition today!
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