Getting the therapy you need can be the difference between getting back to life as normal in a reasonable amount of time and being hampered by injury for many months or even years. When the human body undergoes some sort of physical trauma, a lot happens all at once. The area that is affected suffers pain, the areas around it also have to adjust, and the mind tries to find ways to cope. Traditional therapeutic methods are not always enough. Sometimes, someone undergoes therapy and they get better and declare it a success. However, when you compare the time it took them to heal and how fast they would have healed without therapy, the two are virtually identical. One method that produces powerful results that are often considerably better than those attained through normal means is aquatic therapy. Check out some of the benefits.
Lower Impact Exercise
Therapy involves exercise, at least to some extent. When people exercise, an appropriate amount of stress should be placed on the body in roder to achieve a result. Often, the amount of pain associated with an exercise is used to help determine its effectiveness. This is a false method of measurement. Pain and improvement are not synonymous. Often, the opposite is true. One way to limit the amount of pain while still getting the benefit exercise is supposed to provide is through aquatic therapy.
If you currently go to a sport club, chances are there is some sort of pool there. Many of the exercises prescribed by a therapist can be performed while partially submerged in a pool. While exercising an injured joint under water, there is a far smaller chance for making the injury worse due to the impact you feel while striking the ground. The bounce of running or jogging is often too much for the joints in your leg and foot to handle, especially when they’re hurt. Further, as other parts of your body go up and down, they can be jostled, resulting in more injury or a slower recovery time. Using aquatic therapy at your local sport club can help prevent this.
Underwater Gym
While it would be largely counterproductive to bring weights into the pool, that doesn’t mean you can’t get a good workout while submerged. The water itself provides resistance, giving your muscles and joints something to push back against them as you go through the motions your therapist has designed. When you move underwater, the drag exerted on your body and limbs provides a gentle, easy resistance. This is a good way to ease yourself back into heavier resistance activities. It may be too soon to hit the weights at the sport club, but with aquatic therapy, you can still give recovering body parts the exercise they need to bounce back quickly.
Other Options to Help You Heal
You can complement aquatic therapy with other gym-related activities as well. Some of these include massage therapy, and even excessive sweating treatments. Getting a massage while in the water is a good way to make sure the body is relaxed during the massage. Only certain therapists can do this special form of massage, so you should be selective when choosing who to use. You may also want to take advantage of the relaxation involved in aquatic therapy.
Aquatic Therapy for Relaxation
Tension in the mind can inhibit the healing process. Furthermore, it can cause the muscles to tense up as well, which affects the process of movement. It can also cause muscles in the injured area as well as surrounding it to get so tense that they cannot move effectively enough during our treatment. The relaxing effect of water helps your whole body be at ease. At the sport club, you can also treat yourself to other relaxing activities after an aquatic therapy session to further enhance the experience. Don’t be afraid to get deep tissue massages, or head to a dermatology spa, or even get a quick manicure. Associating your therapy with pleasant, relaxing activities will make it more enjoyable and something you look forward to instead of simply push through for the benefits.
Aquatic therapy is a good way to get the benefits of therapy without the drawback of exercise. Using it, you can protect yourself and encourage true healing.
