While some choose to use their pools for leisure or vigorous workouts, some don't have the choice of sustaining an injury that requires physical therapy.
Some, plain and simple, may not have the hundreds of dollars companies ask for therapy, some may not have a working vehicle to get to their rehab if they do have the funds. There's often obstacles or restrictions that keep people from getting the rehab they need to take back control of their lives when they sustain an injury that keeps them from doing so.
However, those same people may, quite possibly, have a swimming pool at their disposal. And if not, there's public pools one can go to for cheap!
So what's the connection between swimming pools and physical therapy?
There's no doubt pool-based rehab can be beneficial to the body. It helps strengthen ligaments, muscles, it improves cardiovascular fitness even. It's a safe and effective way to rehab, all while being gently supported by the water resistance.
So what exactly is the key to pool therapy being so effective? The answer is buoyancy, buoyancy is what keeps objects afloat, in this particular case, your body. It still provides a tolerable resistance that makes certain movements and/or exercises also challenging.
Below are some benefits of water-based rehab:
Less pressure on the body
As mentioned before, buoyancy plays a key role in this, by holding your body weight, it's taking pressure off your joints, your knee for example -- a common injury sustained by many, especially those of older age.
Swimming is a weight-less activity, which means it can be safe and comfortable with those who have back issues.
Low impact exercise
Exercising in water could be considered a low-risk, high-reward due to the fact where as opposed to rehabbing on land where you can easily stumble, fall, or other setbacks, with water, there's no such risk.
Different strokes
Swimming allows for you to try different types of strokes, there's a number of different types of strokes that help work different parts of the body -- for instance, the back stroke is helpful for those with shoulder issues... I'm kidding, for those with back issues.
Accessible to many
Pool fitness allows for a wide-variety of programs to choose from, with adjusted help from your physical therapist that will be based off your current level of fitness and state of health. Activities can range from simple floating in the water, to strenuous exercises such as "water jogging", and of course, swimming.
