Aquatic therapy is a unique and a highly effective form of physiotherapy that is creating a buzz in the rehabilitation field worldwide. It’s a technique where exercises for therapeutic benefits are carried out by trained aquatic therapists in a warm pool. 

Therapy strategies are designed to enhance function on land.

The benefits of exercising in an aquatic environment are numerous. The major benefit being the feeling of weightlessness experienced in water that helps in reducing the stresses and impact on joints like the Knees, Hip, Spine According to American physical therapy association, submersion up-to neck-deep water can reduce about 90 per cent stress on the joints resulting in a pain- free, risk- free and a safe exercise medium for patients of all ages.

For patients who have found difficulty in coping up and staying consistent with conventional land-based physiotherapy, aquatic therapy is the one stop solution to their rehabilitation needs.

There have been multiple medical studies and plenty of scientific research done on aquatic therapy to prove its efficiency in treating a wide range of health conditions such as, arthritis, low back pain, sports injuries, cerebral palsy, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, obesity, stroke, Parkinson’s disease etc.

According to some studies, the overall effectiveness of an exercise program is enhanced when combined with Aquatic Therapy and vice versa.

Benefits of aquatic therapy

Reduced pressure on the joints - Exercising in water is ideal for weight-bearing joints like Knee, Hip, Ankle and spine as the buoyancy reduces the effects of gravity acting on these joints, thereby reducing the overall weight on your joint. According to American physical therapy association a submersion up-to neck-deep water can reduce about 90 per cent stress on the joints.

Pain reduction - The buoyancy aided joint offloading helps in reducing the pressure from the joints and thereby causing a reduction in pain. Along with reduced joint stresses, exercising in a heated pool has an added benefit in Pain relief as the warmth of the water helps in reducing the muscle tension and spasm.

Reduction in swelling - Hydrostatic pressure is an overall pressure exerted by the water on your joint while it’s under submersion. This pressure provides the necessary compression to the joint to help in reducing the swelling. 

Muscle strengthening - Water is 600-700 times more resistive than air, allowing strengthening of weakened muscles. The higher viscosity makes your muscles work comparatively harder than it would on land for the same exercise. In addition to the water’s natural resistance, Aquatic therapy also makes use of water specific resistive equipment to further enhance the strength gains.

Facilitates neurological recovery -Property of buoyancy aids in movement that is restricted by presence of spasticity or increased muscle tone which may be present in neurological disorders of both adult and childhood origin. Example - In cerebral palsy., spasticity or increased tone is a major deterrent to movement. Buoyancy promotes easier movements, which may be used beneficially to facilitate new movement patterns and promote neuroplasticity. Water being a supportive medium, It is possible to explore movements without fear of losing balance or fear of falling. This is particularly useful in all kinds of neurological concerns.

Faster recovery - In cases of an acute injury, the swelling and pain make it extremely difficult to adhere to exercises that are necessary to recover faster. On the other hand, the weightlessness experienced with Aquatic Therapy enables one to perform more functional based exercises like squats, lunges, etc. way earlier in the rehabilitation period as it is better tolerated in water versus on land.

Enables weight loss through low-impact aerobic exercises - Weight loss is an important component in the management of variety of ailments. However, aerobic exercises that are essential for weight loss like brisk walking, running, etc. can increase the pain in an already painful and inflamed joint. Aquatic therapy on the other hand enables you to perform these exercises as the buoyancy of water reduces the weight and the pressure from the joints as explained above. 

Three things to keep in mind before signing up for aquatic therapy

- It is safe for all age groups across various life stages-right from infants to pregnant women through old age.

- Therapy pools require an immersion usually up to the chest or neck. So swimming is not a prerequisite for aqua therapy.

- It’s important to stay hydrated during and after the aquatic therapy session.

- Aquatic therapy should be avoided when a person has fever, active infections, communicable disease, acute skin lesions, uncontrolled epilepsy, open wounds, urinary tract infections etc. Skin lesions and active infections may get aggravated in water.

Challenges with aquatic therapy

Pool sanitization is an extremely important aspect of aquatic therapy. As therapy is aimed at patients across all ages and immunity, extra precaution has to be taken to ensure a safe rehab experience.Some popular and advanced form of pool filtration like glass bead filters, ozone filters, UV filters should be considered along with chemical filtration.

Space availability is another challenge faced while setting up an aquatic therapy center. A spacious indoor pool is often recommended inorder to carry out various aquatic therapy maneuvers.

Fear of water - Phobia of getting into the water, or fear of drowning can be a major challenge in participating Aqua based programs. However, an important thing to note is that therapy is always supervised one-on-one by a trained aquatic therapist. The pools are usually chest deep only, where exercises are carried out either in standing or in floating position with the help of multiple floats for safety.