Are you fed up with persistent lower back pain affecting your daily life? Is it becoming increasingly difficult to walk, bend, and stand? You may benefit from aquatic therapy! Are you looking for something different than the typical land-based programs that have not helped your pain?
At Moon Physical Therapy, in Mililani, HI, our team of therapists uses the healing properties of water to help our patients get lower back pain relief so they can get back to their regular routine and do what they love!
Stiff, achy joints can make it hard to do your usual activities, like getting out of the car or up from a chair. Staying active when your back hurts can be difficult at best and impossible at worst. Fortunately, aquatic therapy is an excellent solution for persistent lower back pain and can help you tolerate exercise while reducing pain at the same time.
At Moon Physical Therapy, in Mililani, HI, our physical therapists can guide you through an aquatic exercise program to help you alleviate your pain while improving your strength and overall fitness!
Request an appointment today to see if aquatic therapy is right for you!
What is aquatic therapy, and how can it help lower back pain
Aquatic therapy, or pool therapy, is a form of physical therapy that uses the benefits of water as part of a therapeutic intervention. At Moon Physical Therapy, in Mililani, HI, our physical therapists are trained to use the physical properties of water to assist in your recovery and enhance your physical capabilities.
Lower back pain is one of the most commonly experienced conditions, affecting over 80% of all people at some point in their lives. For most people, back pain seems to start for no apparent reason, like sitting or other prolonged positions. Some people feel pain after awkward or repetitive movements and/or improper lifting techniques. Fortunately, lower back pain responds very well to aquatic therapy.
The benefits of water are significant. Only 20% of your weight is supported by your spine when you’re in chest-deep water. This makes it much less painful and easier to exercise your muscles, so we can help improve the strength of your core and lower back muscles without the strain of gravity.
At Moon Physical Therapy, in Mililani, HI, our aquatic therapy treatments can also safely improve your pain with deep water spinal traction. The natural buoyancy of the water helps relieve pressure between the vertebrae and leads to lasting relief on land.
Not everyone feels safe in the water, so our therapists will get in the water with you to provide hands-on assistance when needed. We will make sure that you are safe and taken care of!
What to expect at your Mililani, HI aquatic therapy sessions
Your initial physical therapy assessment takes place on land, where your therapist will conduct a comprehensive evaluation and establish your treatment pain and goals. Based on your specific condition, your therapist will determine if your follow-up sessions should take place in the water to help you find relief.
Aquatic physical therapy can benefit individuals with lower back pain and difficulties moving related to the condition. Typically, your session will start with a warm-up and gradual introduction to exercises that address your particular injury or limitations. For some, this may include deep water traction techniques. The main focus is on alleviating pain and improving mobility.
As your condition improves, the plan will progress to include strengthening exercises. A physical therapist can increase the resistance of an exercise and make the movement more difficult by increasing the surface area of a person’s body by adding paddles, noodles, and kickboards. Your therapist will use the water’s natural properties to create an exercise program that safely challenges you without provoking your pain.
Your Moon Physical Therapy therapist can also manipulate the exercise intensity level by adding a current to the water. Currents that move in the same direction as a person’s body makes it easier. In contrast, turbulent flow, which moves in the opposite direction of a person’s body, makes it harder to move through the water and more challenging to balance while moving forward.
Aquatic therapy provides a safe, comfortable, and therapeutic alternative to gain strength and reduce pain for patients who have difficulty exercising on land. If you don’t know how to swim, have no fear, our therapists will get in the water with you to ensure your comfort and safety.
Request an appointment at Moon Physical Therapy today!
Contact Moon Physical Therapy in Mililani, HI today if you suffer from back pain and want to learn more about aquatic therapy.
Our dedicated physical therapists can help you find relief with our aquatic therapy programs!
Sources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6314737/
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0269215519880955
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3820233/
- https://journals.lww.com/ajpmr/fulltext/2018/02000/Aquatic_Exercises_in_the_Treatment_of_Low_Back.7.aspx
