Aquatic therapy reduces the force of gravity on a patient. This reduction in gravity or “un-weighting” allows for buoyancy and results in more ease of movement under the water. Such buoyancy also has the therapeutic effect of decreasing stress on weight bearing joints. Injury, pain and the risk of falling in aquatic therapy are greatly minimized due to the buoyancy effect. Our doctors of physical and occupational therapy can apply a more optimal load through utilizing aquatic therapy and bridge to land based therapeutic exercises and modalities as needed.
Aquatic therapy treatment sessions are approximately 55 minutes long and specifically tailored to meet each patient’s individual needs. The aquatic treatment plan is coordinated with a patient’s land-based physical or occupational therapy program.
Skilled care
Aquatic exercise and aquatic therapy are not the same thing. When specifically speaking of aquatic exercise, the goals may be to work on fitness, strength, weight loss, muscular endurance or muscular strength and the individual does not require the supervision and direction of the therapist. In contrast, Aquatic therapy is designed to treat a specific deficit or dysfunction in the body that limits normal functioning of the body. In addition, aquatic therapy is designed and individually tailored to meet the needs of a specific patient by a doctor of physical or occupational therapy. The following are guidelines on when an individual may be a good candidate for skilled aquatic therapy versus aquatic exercise alone.
Aquatic physical therapy requires the “skilled service” of a PT/OT and/or PTA which may include: the clinical reasoning and decision making skills of a PT/OT/PTA; the patient has impairments and/or disabilities which can be minimized or eliminated with aquatic physical therapy; and the patient has potential for reaching new functional goals/outcomes to improve quality of life and ease the burden of care.
Why water works
These are some of the ways that water’s natural properties create an ideal therapeutic environment:
Results
Who it helps
Water therapy may be helpful for clients suffering from the following conditions:
Research
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30675389
Marinho-Buzelli AR, Rouhani H, Craven BC, Masani K, Barela JA, Popovic MR, Verrier MC. Effects of water immersion on quasi-static standing exploring center of pressure sway and trunk acceleration: a case series after incomplete spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord Ser Cases. 2019 Jan 17;5:5. doi: 10.1038/s41394-019-0147-2. eCollection 2019.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27710837
Gait Posture. 2017 Jan;51:70-76. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2016.09.009. Epub 2016 Sep 28.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29850439
Marinho-Buzelli AR1, Rouhani H2, Masani K3, Verrier MC4, Popovic MR5. The influence of the aquatic environment on the control of postural sway. Afr J Disabil. 2018 May 16;7(0):450. doi: 10.4102/ajod.v7i0.450. eCollection 2018.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28296754
Ellapen TJ1, Hammill HV1, Swanepoel M1, Strydom GL1. The benefits of hydrotherapy to patients with spinal cord injuries. Medicine (Baltimore). 2017 Mar;96(11)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28735720
Li C1, Khoo S, Adnan A. Effects of aquatic exercise on physical function and fitness among people with spinal cord injury: A systematic review. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2018 Feb;99(2):234-241. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2017.06.015. Epub 2017 Jul 20.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28215060
Kargarfard M1, Shariat A2, Ingle L3, Cleland JA4, Kargarfard M5. Randomized Controlled Trial to Examine the Impact of Aquatic Exercise Training on Functional Capacity, Balance, and Perceptions of Fatigue in Female Patients With Multiple Sclerosis. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med. 2017 Dec;53(6):944-952. doi: 10.23736/S1973-9087.17.04570-1. Epub 2017 Feb 17.
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