People who can benefit from aquatic therapy

Who Needs Aquatic Therapy

For many people, there’s something about being in water that’s calming and restorative. But you might not know that there’s a type of therapy that’s designed to use water to help you. 

Aquatic therapy is a type of physical therapy that’s practiced in a heated pool of water. This therapy method is also known as water therapy. It can be helpful for many different types of people, yet how do you know if you need aquatic therapy?

Who needs aquatic therapy?

If you have chronic pain or an injury, you may be wondering if aquatic therapy is right for you. People with all sorts of conditions can benefit from aquatic therapy. Here are some of the common conditions it is used to treat:

Don’t worry if you don’t see your condition in this list. Aquatic therapy can be used to treat a lot more issues. 

What benefits can people who need aquatic therapy expect? 

More people are turning to aquatic therapy for treating pain or an injury. Some of the benefits that people who need aquatic therapy can expect are:

  • It’s gentle on the bones and joints.
  • It provides natural support to help you balance.
  • It can help cushion falls and impacts.
  • It’s naturally resistant, so it forces your muscles to work harder.

What can patients who need aquatic therapy expect to do during their sessions? 

Aquatic therapy is guided by a health care professional who knows what kind of aquatic activities are best for your physical condition. Some of the activities that people who need aquatic therapy may do in their sessions are: 

  • Gait training — This type of training seeks to help improve your walking mechanics. It can be helpful for people with hip or knee arthritis. Gait training can also be useful after a hip or knee replacement surgery. 
  • Strengthening exercises — Water naturally resists the movement of objects, including your body parts. Your physical therapist can use this resistance to increase the effectiveness of strengthening exercises. 
  • Body awareness training — Body awareness is your mind’s ability to sense where each part of your body is at any given time. This awareness can be degraded by injuries or other issues. Aquatic therapy slows down your movements, and the water provides feedback to your brain about where your body parts are. These factors can help improve your body awareness. 

Excel Sports & Physical Therapy offers effective aquatic therapy

Not sure if you need to be doing aquatic therapy? Our physical therapists at Excel Sports & Physical Therapy can help you find out which therapy methods are right for you. We’ll first perform a free screening to determine what issue you’re dealing with. Our specialists will then construct a personalized therapy plan for you that can include aquatic therapy. In addition, your plan could incorporate therapy methods like:

Take the next step to start getting our help. Contact our Wentzville clinic today for more information about our physical therapy services or to schedule an initial appointment.