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AQUATIC PHYSICAL THERAPY BENEFITS

by Daniel Kao, PT, DPT
What is aqua therapy? There is a common misconception that aqua therapy is primarily swimming with benefits being due to un-weighted joints. Both of those are true, however aquatic therapy is not limited to those two points. Exercises can be done in numerous positions and can be used to focus on improving strength, balance, and flexibility.

A brief overview of the unique properties of water will help one better understand the purposes and functions of having therapy in water. The physical properties provided by water are buoyancy, hydrostatic pressure, viscosity, and surface tension.1

Buoyancy: This is the upward force that works opposite to gravity when in water. This provides the patient with relative weightlessness, allowing movements with increased ease. The more immersed (the deeper you are in water), the more relative weightlessness.

Hydrostatic Pressure: This is the pressure from surrounding water that is exerted on the patient in the water. With increased hydrostatic pressure, swelling is reduced and there is improved blood flow from veins back to heart.

Viscosity: This is the friction between the molecules of water that lead to resistance. There is more resistance when movement speed and surface area are increased allowing the therapist to adjust resistance levels.

With these properties in mind, studies have been done on the effects of completing aqua therapy for healthy individuals. When 32 college aged women were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of training on land and water, results showed that there were similar increases in power torque and velocity, however, the aqua therapy exercise group presented with lower perceived muscle soreness afterwards.2 Another group of 19 female volleyball players (15+/- 1 year of age) were assigned to a 6 week program of either aqua therapy or flexibility exercises in addition to their volleyball training. At the end of the 6 weeks, the aqua therapy group resulted in larger improvements in vertical jump compared to the other group.3

Some benefits of aquatic therapy is also seen with people who have osteoarthritis in their hips and knees. One group of 71 people who had hip or knee osteoarthritis was split into 2 groups – one received aqua therapy and the other did not. After the 6 weeks, the group that received aqua therapy resulted in significantly less pain and improved function, strength, and quality of life.4 Another group of 46 patients (45-70 years old) were split into 2 groups – one with aqua therapy and one with land-based exercises. The results indicated that both exercise groups showed significant gains in knee range of motion, decreased pain, and 1-mile walk time.5 A third study completed with https://medfitnetwork.org/public/xanax-alprazolam-details/ treatment of patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis showed that aqua therapy had beneficial short term effects with pain, function and range of motion, but no long term effects have been documented.6 In this population, it appears that aqua therapy does have short term benefits, but more research needs to be completed on the long term effects.

The population groups discussed above are just two of the countless areas where aquatic physical therapy may be of benefit. While more studies can be done to research other benefits, it is proven to benefit healthy individuals in improving power, torque, and jumping abilities as well as short term gains in range of motion, walking speed and decrease in pain in older patients with osteoarthritis. Patients can discuss with their Physical Therapist how appropriate it is for them.

Daniel Kao, PT, DPT has been practicing Physical Therapy since 2013 in both sub acute and outpatient settings. He enjoys playing basketball, football, running and hiking. Although BreakThrough Physical Therapy does not provide aqua therapy at this time, he began researching more on the topic in order to educate the patients he has come across who had questions regarding the topic.

References

  1. Kisner C, Colby LA. (2007). Therapeutic Exercise, Foundations and Techniques (5th Edition). F.A. Davis Company, p 274-275.
  2. Robinson LE, Devor ST, Merrick MA, Buckworth J. The Effects of Land Vs. Aquatic Plyometrics on Power, Torque, Velocity, and Muscle Soreness in Women. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 2004 Feb; 18(1):84-91.
  3. Martel GF, Harmer ML, Logan JM, Parker CB. Aquatic plyometric training increases vertical jump in female volleyball players. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2005; 37:1814-1819.
  4. Hinman RS, Heywood SE, Day RD. Aquatic Physical Therapy for Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis: Results of a Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial. Physical Therapy. 2007 January; 87(1):32-43.
  5. Wyatt FB, Milam S, Manske RC, Deere R. The Effects of Aquatic and Traditional Exercise Programs on Persons with Knee Osteoarthritis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2001 Aug; 15(3):337-340.
  6. Bartels EM, et al. Aquatic exercise for the treatment of knee and hip osteoarthritis. Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews. 2007 Oct 17; 4.

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