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Aquatic Exercise: Good for Arthritis
If you have arthritis, you probably know all about the pain, stiffness, diminished range of motion and joint swelling, about medication that helps with pain and swelling, and about the importance of exercise to reduce pain, maintain strength and joint flexibility. However, did you know that exercising improperly and overstraining your muscles and overloading your joints could cause harm to your joints, tendons and muscles?
Judy, a teacher, golfer and jogger, had right hip pain due to osteoarthritis. Eventually, because of increased pain and stiffness, she became less active and her condition worsened. However, after joining an aquatic exercise class, she managed to regain some flexibility and muscle strength that had been weakened because of her pain, imbalance and lack of low-impact exercise. Soon, she felt better than ever and was back walking the greens in no time.
WATER PROVIDES GOOD BENEFITS:
Water’s physical components such as buoyancy, resistance and hydrostatic pressure provide a safe, low-impact, medically beneficial, and enjoyable exercising environment especially for people with arthritis.
Imagine yourself walking down the steps of a pool. As your body becomes more submerged, you feel instantly lighter because the water’s buoyancy offsets your weight and relieves pressure from your joints and spine. You may feel half as heavy when waist deep, while at neck level, only about 15 lbs of compression is exerted on the spine, hips, and knees. This anti-gravity state benefits the body by allowing freer movement and range of motion with minimal stress on your joints and spine.
Moreover, muscles need strength to support joints, which can be attained with the help of water resistance. Think about it, what requires more muscle power, swinging your arms or kicking your feet in the air or in water? Because water is heavier than air, it creates a resistance and requires more power to move it, which helps strengthen your muscles. People can also chose to wear weight bands for further muscles strengthening.
Lastly, hydrostatic pressure is created when the water surrounds your body or limbs, like support stockings hug your calves and ankles. This type of pressure helps reduce joint swelling or edema, an abnormal pooling of fluid, by helping the fluid move back into the veins and return to the heart.
Aquatic exercise provides a different approach to conventional land-based exercise programs, and can be medically beneficial if the program is well designed and instructed by a trained professional. Exercise options should range from simple warm water immersion, to passive and active underwater exercise techniques, followed by maintenance aquatic exercise.
By Dr. Yong H. Tsai
Published in The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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