When it comes to recovering from injury or managing chronic conditions, sometimes traditional exercise can be challenging. As an alternative, water exercise can be a gentle way to begin your rehabilitation journey. Whether you’re recuperating from surgery, managing arthritis, or rebuilding strength after an injury, aquatic rehabilitation could potentially be beneficial for you.
Low-Impact, High-Resistance
Water offers a unique environment where buoyancy reduces the impact on joints, making it ideal for those with arthritis, joint pain, or recovering from orthopedic surgeries. Additionally, the resistance of water provides a gentle way to build strength and endurance without the strain that comes with traditional weight-bearing exercises. This allows individuals to work on muscle rehabilitation and cardiovascular fitness in a supportive and controlled manner.
Increased Range of Motion
One of the primary goals of rehabilitation is to regain and improve range of motion. Water helps support the body, allowing joints to move more freely through their full range of motion than they might on land. This freedom of movement can help in loosening tight muscles and improving flexibility, all while maintaining your mobility needs in a safe environment.
Balance and Coordination Improvement
Maintaining balance and coordination can be challenging during rehabilitation. Water’s resistance forces the body to engage stabilizing muscles constantly. This allows the body to improve its balance and proprioception (the body’s awareness of its position in space). This makes water exercise beneficial for individuals recovering from surgery or conditions that may affect someone’s balance capabilities.
Accessibility and Versatility
Water exercise is incredibly versatile, catering to a wide range of fitness levels and rehabilitation needs. From gentle aqua jogging and water aerobics to more targeted resistance training using aquatic dumbbells or flotation devices, there are numerous exercises that can be tailored to individual goals and limitations.
Whether you’re recovering from surgery, managing a chronic condition, or simply looking for a gentle yet effective way to stay fit, water exercise offers many benefits. If you would like to know more about water exercises and the benefits it may offer you, come see one of the physiotherapists at Kamloops Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Centre. They can tailor a personalized aquatic program to your needs and help guide you through your rehabilitation journey.
This blog was written by physiotherapist Jacob Coelho. To book an appointment with Jacob or any of our other skilled therapists, call 250-314-0788 or book online HERE.
