Reduce Rehab Time With Aquatic Therapy

Although patients always want to know how long it will take to recover from an injury, as a clinician, it is often difficult to predict an exact timeline for any given person. Many factors can contribute to how quickly one recovers, such as age, the extent of injury/surgery, unrelated conditions, fitness levels and rehabilitation methods. One method that has been shown to help progress patients painlessly through their rehabilitation protocols sooner is aquatic therapy.

How Does Aquatic Therapy Speed up Patient Recovery?

When a patient exercises in a HydroWorx pool, up to 80% of their weight is supported by water. By removing the stress on the joints, the patient can perform exercises not typically performed on land during the early stages of rehab. When combined with the healing powers of water — where inflammation and pain are reduced — performing these exercises sooner in a rehabilitation program allows for an increased chance of recovering faster and more comfortably.

Water rehabilitation minimizes the loss of range of motion, speeds up the recovery process and builds confidence. The owner of Premier Rehab Physical Therapy, Kelly McFarland, PT, DPT, notes that aquatic therapy is an effective, state-of-the-art option for patient rehabilitation. Patients with various conditions and diagnoses see quickened progress.

Aquatic therapy has been widely used as post-operative rehabilitation for many conditions and injuries, including rotator cuff lesions and musculoskeletal conditions. Due to the water’s buoyancy, the patient’s body weight is reduced, preventing excessive stress on repaired tendons, sore muscles and stiff joints. This enables patients’ bodies to relax and promotes active motion earlier on than land-based exercises.

Additionally, aquatic therapy can help reduce the risk of complications after injury or surgery. Hydrotherapy provides a safe environment for patients to be mobile while reducing strain to protect their healing tissues. By minimizing pain and increasing balance, endurance and overall function, patients will recover much quicker than if they strained their muscles during uncomfortable land-based activities. 

Injury rehab time is different for every patient or athlete, which is why it’s important to have a versatile, effective solution that meets their needs and goals. Aquatic therapy pools include functional, powerful features that help your patients build strength and recover. 

How to Improve Hydrotherapy Results

Here are three key elements to ensure the highest level of patient satisfaction and rehabilitation results with aquatic therapy:

1. Elevate your space with the right features: As a clinician, your treatment options have to meet many scenarios. Maximizing your physical therapy strategies is key to seeing patient progress. Consider whether a large-scale pool or compact, underwater treadmill would benefit your facility most. Additionally, if you already have experience in aquatic therapy, you can easily break through rehabilitation barriers with your patients for the best results possible.
2. Create individualized programs: Offer customized programs tailored to each patient’s unique case. A workout tailored to the patient will best fit their needs for the quickest recovery possible.
3. Think beyond a static pool: A warm water therapy pool equipped with a moveable floor or zero depth entry for easy accessibility, an underwater treadmill, resistance jets for balance exercises and deep tissue massage capabilities will offer your patient a progressive rehab experience. Optional features like deep wells, extensions and reservoir tanks create multiple sizes and depths to maximize functionality in your facility.

Trust HydroWorx for Your Aquatic Therapy Needs

At HydroWorx, we offer stand-alone and customizable options to elevate your space and aquatic wellness services. Connect with our team members to discover how we can support your needs. You can also see more examples of exercises for shoulder injuries, total knee replacements and Achilles tendon conditions for on-site aquatic rehabilitation therapy today!