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by Ashley Smith
For centuries, people from different cultures have been reaping the benefits of warm water to improve circulation, relieve stress, and reduce the pain and discomfort that stem from everyday physical activities (bending, twisting, stretching) and injuries.
Modern healthcare practitioners such as physical therapists are also using that ancient technique, which is now known as aquatic therapy, to heal people struggling with pain, injuries, and chronic illnesses.
Also known as hydrotherapy or aquatic rehabilitation, aquatic therapy is highly useful for meeting your unique needs. It’s carried out in a warm water pool or other similar environments under the supervision of a well-trained physical therapist.
The soothing properties of warm water promote your health and overall well-being. It not only relieves everyday stress but also enhances your flexibility and range of motion.
According to Lewy Physical Therapy in Denham Springs, LA, “Water therapy has been used for hundreds of years by many cultures. The ancient Romans and Greeks bathed in hot springs for relaxation and to improve circulation. Hippocrates was a great believer in hot springs to heal sickness. Swiss monks were well known to use thermal waters to treat sick people.”
So, if you are struggling with health problems such as back pain, neck pain, shoulder injury, or knee injury, you should seek aquatic therapy to strengthen your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints so that you can get back to your normal life quickly.
According to NCBI, “The benefits of aquatic therapy include the reduction in pain and muscle spasm through warmth, resistance to movement through turbulence and hydrostatic pressure, decreased loading of joints through buoyancy, and reduction in edema through pressure from immersion.”
The best part is that anyone can seek aquatic therapy. It means it offers equal benefits to small children, teens, adults, and seniors.
Advantages of Seeking Aquatic Therapy
It Reduces Stress
In today’s time, stress is the most significant cause of your unhappiness and continually deteriorating health. So, whether you are struggling with this problem due to the kind of competition that you confront in the office, extended working hours, financial issues, or due to a chronic illness, aquatic therapy can reduce your stress level within a short time.
Apart from that, if your stress level is increasing because you are unable to spend quality time with your loved ones or because you are scared of losing your job, you can still seek aquatic therapy to reduce your stress level.
Aquatic therapy balances the production of cortisol – a stress hormone, which plays a significant role in minimizing your stress level.
It Promotes Relaxation
The moment you enter a warm water pool, you start feeling too good. The reason for that is the properties of warm water soothe your body. Aquatic therapy also increases the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that influences your mood, apart from balancing the production of cortisol that leads to stress.
Besides, aquatic therapy also helps in producing stress-reducing hormones such as Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), which eventually promote relaxation.
It Minimises Pain
Hydrostatic pressure, which reduces pain and swelling is one of the most crucial advantages of seeking aquatic therapy. Hydrostatic pressure, which is nothing but the force exercised on your body by water molecules, is beneficial for everyone experiencing pain and swelling.
So, whether you are suffering from pain and swelling that occurs due to sports injuries or you are living with a chronic illness for a long time now, seeking aquatic therapy will not only minimize your pain but will also strengthen your body in a big way.
It Improves Flexibility
Having a flexible body reduces the risk of injuries and conditions like back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, and foot and ankle pain, etc. Apart from that, flexibility plays a vital role in maintaining balance and coordination, which reduces the risk of gym-injuries and falls.
Seeking aquatic therapy is one of the best ways to work on your flexibility. Generally, people with injuries, chronic illnesses or surgeries have reduced flexibility. So, if you are also one among them, don’t hesitate to approach a reliable physical therapy clinic in your city to seek aquatic therapy.
It Increases Mobility
Your physical therapist will examine your overall fitness, apart from checking the affected part before designing a care plan for you. If the reason behind your reduced mobility is an injury, then they will create the treatment plan accordingly. However, if you are someone who is above 65, and the primary cause of your problem is aging, then they will keep it in mind while creating a care plan for you.
It Improves Circulation
One of the most crucial advantages of opting for aquatic therapy is that it helps in improving your circulation. So, if you think that it only provides relaxation than you are wrong because it offers tons of other benefits.
Increased circulation plays an indispensable role in accelerating the healing process because it helps in supplying the nutrients to injured tissues.
So, if you are struggling with an injury or illness, but want to get back to your daily activities as soon as possible, you must seek aquatic therapy.
About the Author:
Ashley is an ardent writer, who inspires the readers by writing highly factual and informative posts. When she is not busy with her writing assignments, she loves to spend time with her loved ones.