How aqua therapy helps to relieve pain, improve mood and mobility

No matter whether you call it aqua therapy, water therapy or something different, moving and as well as performing exercises in a pool can be a valuable tool to treat arthritis. Regardless of your motion in the water, you will utilize the resistance of water. It means that the resistance of the water will gradually and gently strengthen your muscles. In addition, the pressure falling on painful joints is also reduced by the buoyancy of the water.

You can also use therapy in the water to improve your balance since there is no risk of falling, and even if you do, then you are only going to get your hair wet. According to the research, water therapy also helps to reduce pain, remove joint stiffness, and provide a better quality of life. In particular, having aqua therapy sessions can significantly help people with rheumatoid arthritis, hip and knee osteoarthritis.

Having said that, you may consider keeping in mind the following tips if you are considering aquatherapy treatment.

There is a number of approaches coming to types of programs. You may want to have a one-on-one or group session with a physiotherapist. Also, you can take part in a water fitness class with different kinds of training taught by a fitness instructor. You can even continue training on your own after gaining some instructions through therapy sessions. During the aquatherapy treatment, you are not usually swimming rather usually you perform movements standing upright in waist, chest or shoulder deep water.  

Some times during the training sessions, food noodles, boards or other types of supporting objects can be used to help with floatation and increase the resistance. According to the research, for patients suffering joint problems, running, jogging and as well as walking in water provides better help than performing the same exercises on land since movements do not impact on joints.

Choosing the swimsuit

In general, men can usually handle swim trunks without much trouble. However, women’s swimsuits can a bit harder to peel on and off.  While choosing a swimsuit for your exercise sessions look for a tank style or try to shop for “adaptive swimwear”. The latter may have an easy-to-use zipper down the front. However, considering the permissions of pool regulations, you can also wear a nylon t-shirt and shorts in the pool.

Generally, you must keep joints moving to keep its mobility. Aquatherapy is a great way to continue using your joints in a gentler way, while keeping your range of motion, with less or no pain. Accordingly, if you see that your knees hurt when you are walking or doing stairs, it is a good idea to practice walking and also stairs in the pool.