Finding the right approach in physical therapy is just as important as doing the work itself. Many patients searching online for physical therapy near me have results in mind, but have not considered options like aquatic physical therapy and their benefits specifically, and they should. Understanding the unique benefits of therapy options helps you advocate for yourself during recovery.
What Does Aquatic Physical Therapy Look Like?
When you go to aquatic physical therapy New Jersey, you can expect the activities to happen in a warm pool, usually one similar to what you would expect from a health club or public indoor pool. It might be a lot smaller, but it might not. Some aquatic therapy practitioners make use of existing infrastructure by working with existing pools to get time. Big or small, the pool’s warm water helps relax your muscles and joints while encouraging blood flow.
There are a lot of activities that can be done in aquatic physical therapy. Movement therapies and strength building are both effective in this environment, and functional occupational recovery techniques also benefit from the aquatic environment in many cases.
Who Benefits Most From This Physical Therapy Service?
Aquatic physical therapy is notable for its effectiveness for patients with fibromyalgia, arthritis and other rheumatological conditions that affect joint strength, blood flow, or muscle inflammation. The water helps offset fatigue because natural buoyancy reduces the amount of stress placed on the joints. At the same time, strength building activities benefit from the added resistance provided by the water. Other chronic pain and fatigue conditions like back pain are also very treatable with this therapy because of the same reasons.
Chronic pain and fatigue conditions are not the only ones that benefit from aquatic physical therapy. Rehabilitation from injuries can also be helped by an aquatic setting because the combination of added resistance and lowered stress on the joints and on injured muscles can help patients at all levels of fitness make gains.
Neurological patients like those recovering from a stroke or traumatic brain injury also benefit from physical therapy in water. The stress relief offered by time in water is one reason, but the way water pressure can help encourage circulation has additional benefits for those working to rebuild coordination and basic functionality. The circulatory benefits also help patients with heart health issues and neuropathy from diabetes.
Finding Aquatic Physical Therapy Services
This kind of physical therapy has been gaining popularity, but it requires a lot of infrastructure. Still, searching for physical therapy jobs near me usually shows that there is a growing demand for practitioners who can help patients with water-based rehabilitation and strength building techniques. For patients, that makes finding a facility easier than it used to be.
That means what you really need is to match expertise with the condition you are treating and the options for physical therapy that you need, like aquatic therapy. Once you do that, it will be easy to figure out which local office is right for you. Start the search today.
