Aquatic Therapy
Who is it for?
Aquatic Therapy is often prescribed as an adjunct to or alternative to traditional land based physical therapy. It is often recommended for children with:
Cerebral palsy
Muscular dystrophy
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Down syndrome
Autism
Ethers Danlos syndrome
Genetic conditions and other syndromes
Orthopedic injuries
Post-surgery
How does it work?
Want some more details about how water therapy works? Below we have described the general benefits of buoyancy, water resistance, and hydrostatic pressure. These properties are unique to the aquatic environment and allow us to achieve things that we are otherwise unable to achieve with traditional therapy.
Buoyancy
The buoyancy of water reduces body weight by up to 90% depending on the depth of submersion. This also slows down movement allowing for improved balance and coordination. In the pool we are able to work on balance, gross motor progression, and gait training with more ease.
Hydrostatic Pressure
Hydrostatic pressure is the pressure that water exerts on entire body when immersed in the water. It helps to decrease swelling, increase circulation, and improve positional awareness or proprioception. This is beneficial for children who suffer from poor circulation, post-injury or post-surgical pain and swelling, and poor body awareness.
Water Resistance
The increased density of water allow us to build strength and endurance when moving against this resistance. Other properties of water, including warmth and buoyancy allow these gains in a way that is more gentle for muscle and joints.
What about the heat?
Where possible we try to do therapy in a warm pool as it helps to relax the joints and muscles for a more therapeutic effect.