Aquatic Therapy for All Ages!
Did you know? First Step is offering Aquatic Therapy for all ages now!
Our main office specializes in seeing children, but all ages are welcome at Snohomish Aquatic Center for Aquatic Therapy! From post-op to pre-school, birth through the golden years, almost everyone can benefit from Aquatic PT! Those who are looking to progress their balance, strength, body awareness, breathing, sensory processing, and mobility can greatly benefit from the advantages that physical therapy in the pool has to offer.
Specifically, Aquatic Therapy has been shown to be beneficial for those with Cerebral Palsy (CP), Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Down Syndrome/trisomy 21, general muscle weakness, other genetic conditions, and many more.
Aquatic Therapy is not recommended for people with: very high blood pressure, serious open wounds, chemical allergies (chlorine and salt), and certain communicable/infectious diseases.
Want to know more? Here are some Aquatic Therapy fast facts:
Water is helpful for memory retention and retrieval.¹ This means that you might just be able to remember the name of that movie you discussed with a friend the other day that was on the tip of your tongue. Additionally, in patients with dementia, a cellular change in brain organization has been found to occur when taking part in consistent Aquatic Therapy sessions, which can indicate a decrease in dementia symptoms.²
Water is a safe place to challenge balance.³ Balance is a skill, just like playing the piano is a skill, which means that it can be practiced and, with time, improved. The great thing about practicing balance in the pool is if you lose your balance, you can safely fall because the water will catch you. Water also makes it easier for one to hold their body upright.
Water improves blood flow.⁴ This can help with the effects of neurological conditions such as stroke and with soreness common to arthritis. This can also help to speed up the healing process of common overuse injuries by bringing fresh blood to an injury site.
Aquatic Therapy is also effective in treating:
Post-operative patients including joint replacements⁵
Parkinson's symptoms²
MS symptoms, as it increases aerobic load while minimizing heat and fall risk²
CP with whole body strengthening and proprioception²
Final Thoughts:
Aquatic Therapy is safe and effective for many people.
You do not need to know how to swim in order to benefit from Aquatic Therapy. Often we are in shallow water and your face will not even get wet if you don’t want it to.
Aquatic Therapy is fun! Call today to schedule.
A note from Dr. Kristin Ringstad, PT, DPT, our Aquatic Therapist:
I would love the chance to work with you or your loved one in the refreshing and playful pool environment at Snohomish Aquatic Center!
References:
Bressel E, Louder TJ, Raikes AC, Alphonsa S, Kyvelidou A. Water Immersion Affects Episodic Memory and Postural Control in Healthy Older Adults. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy 42(4):p E1-E6, October/December 2019. | DOI: 10.1519/JPT.0000000000000192
Becker, B E. “Aquatic Therapy in Contemporary Neurorehabilitation: An Update.” PM&R, vol. 12, no. 12, 25 July 2020, pp. 1251–1259, https://doi.org/10.1002/pmrj.12435. Accessed 18 Apr. 2021.
Geigle PR, Cheek WL Jr, Gould ML, Hunt CH III, Shafiq, B. Aquatic Physical Therapy for Balance: The Interaction of Somatosensory and Hydrodynamic Principles. Journal of Aquatic Physical Therapy 5(1):p 4-10, March 1997
Thein JM and Brody LT. Aquatic-Based Rehabilitation and Training for the Elite Athlete. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 1998;27(1):32-41. doi:https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.1998.27.1.32
Liebs, TR., et al. “Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Early versus Late Aquatic Therapy after Total Hip or Knee Arthroplasty.” Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, vol. 93, no. 2, Feb. 2012, pp. 192–199, www.archives-pmr.org/article/S0003-9993(11)00843-4/fulltext, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2011.09.011.