Aquatic therapy offers patients alternative rehab
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For 55 year-old Ron Barksdale, what began as lower back pain led to lumbar spinal fusion surgery. This surgery creates a bridge of solid bone by linking or fusing two or more vertebral bones together to help maintain spinal alignment, provide stability and strength, and improve or end pain by eliminating the motion between the spinal discs.
While the surgery was successful, it left Ron with decreased range of motion in his lower spine, and the inability to walk without the help of a cane. In addition, Ron was still experiencing back pain. He felt he was too young to be burdened with a cane and limited motion so he turned to physical therapy for help.
“We started off doing land based exercises with Ron, but felt he was a great candidate for our new aquatic therapy program,” said KORT physical therapist Robin McCollough. “The water provides a nearly weightless environment which allows most patients to exercise for a longer period of time, and allows them to tolerate more strenuous exercises than they can on land. Because of his surgery, Ron doesn’t have complete range of motion in his back and was unable to do simple crunches typically used to strengthen abdominal muscles. But in the water, we were able to work on abdominal strengthening, endurance, balance and stamina.”
For patients like Ron who are suffering from acute or chronic lower back pain, shoulder injuries, or those recovering from knee surgery or rehabbing a sports injury, aquatic therapy offers patients an alternative way to retrain injured or weakened muscles while recovering more quickly and with less pain.
Aquatic therapy programs take advantage of the natural resistance and buoyancy of water to help patients build muscle strength and flexibility in an almost weightless environment. The natural buoyancy of water decreases impact while increasing movement. The water’s resistance provides the same type of conditioning as using weights in the gym. This combination of resistance and buoyancy allows patients who find it too difficult and painful to exercise on land the ability to do many of the same land-based exercises in the water. Patients also find it easier to work on flexibility and balance through water exercises.
“We’ve found that patients can do more repetitions and have a greater range of motion in the water,” said McCollough. “It also provides patients with a sense of confidence. They see themselves walking better or moving more easily in the pool and believe they can do the same on land.”
McCollough said that surgery outcomes for patients who undergo hip and knee replacements are much improved when those patients participate in a strengthening program prior to surgery. She said that strengthening those muscles surrounding the hip and knee joints provides additional stability to the area after surgery. Since most patients facing hip and knee replacements find it extremely painful to walk or do any kind of exercise on land, the water provides the only real alternative. Patients can still work those muscles, but in a more forgiving environment and with very little discomfort, said McCollough.
According to McCollough, although patients do not need to know how to swim to use aquatic therapy, they should be comfortable standing in water about hip deep.
Founded in 1987, Kentucky Orthopedic Rehab Team (KORT) is an outpatient physical and occupational therapy and sports medicine practice. KORT therapists work with patients to make sure they understand their condition, and give patients the tools they need to recover quickly and prevent further injury. Currently, KORT has over 30 clinics throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana, with more board-certified specialists than any other physical therapy provider in Kentucky. For more information visit www.kort.com. |
