Water workouts offer the ability to increase muscle in a low-impact environment.
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Wade a while

Aquatic movement can help with pain or mobility issues, and as an alternate form of exercise

by JACKIE DUDA

Humans are roughly 60% water, so it makes sense that exercising in water, in the form of aquatic therapy, could play a part in your health.

“Arthritis and spinal cord injury patients benefit from aquatic therapy,” says Dr. Bruce Becker, founding director of the National Aquatic and Sports Medicine Institute at Washington State University and a retired physiatrist—a doctor who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation after disabling conditions such as stroke and spinal cord injuries. Becker, a Costco member, says aquatic exercise offers unique benefits for people of all ages and abilities, with studies showing cardiovascular, circulatory, respiratory and endocrine benefits, and improved muscle strength, walking, balance, memory and mood.

Gain strength, reduce pain

“[Aquatic therapy is] a good option for gaining strength, because buoyancy makes it easier to exercise in the water,” says Costco member Dr. Albert Recio, a physician in the paralysis restoration program at the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Buoyancy supports them, and hydrostatic pressure, the force of water against the body, helps circulation. “Hydrostatic pressure promotes muscle relaxation and helps decrease swelling,” explains Recio.

Being in the water also decreases pain. Judy Peck, a physical therapist, has worked with patients for 24 years, witnessing the pain-relieving effects. “Our goal is to teach patients what to do to decrease pain, improve flexibility and strength, and help them mentally when they’re struggling with chronic pain,” she explains. Patients are often surprised by the mental and physical relief: “Many feel relief even hours later,” says Peck.

Recovering from injury

Costco member Michael Murray, president of the American Physical Therapy Association Academy of Aquatic Physical Therapy, sees a wide spectrum of patients, from injured athletes to people for whom aquatic therapy was a last resort.

Murray and his colleagues at Duke studied healthy people walking in shallow water, demonstrating how buoyancy lessened impact on lower extremities and resistance increased strength and some joint mobility. “If you have a condition that’s degenerative, aquatic therapy helps strengthen you to live more independently on land,” says Murray. He notes that high-intensity aquatic exercises can help maintain bone density, but osteoporosis patients also need to include weight-bearing exercises on land, as a combination of aquatic and land therapy can help them to get stronger and functionally independent.

Meeting special lifestyle needs

Recio works with patients of all ages with mild to severe neurological, rehabilitative or developmental needs. He published groundbreaking research on how aquatic therapy improved activities of daily living, such as personal care and hygiene, for patients with tracheostomies, colostomies and pressure injuries. “We’re trying to demonstrate we can eliminate barriers for patients with complex medical conditions. We have developed policies and procedures allowing patients with ventilators and diaphragmatic pacers in the pool for skilled therapies,” Recio explains, adding that these patients hadn’t previously been considered for aquatic exercise. “Aquatic therapy gives them more independence.”

“Everything you do from the standpoint of exercise, in water or on land, has health benefits,” Becker emphasizes. “The body is very smart. It’s always looking for ways to recover. The water facilitates that.”

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