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The Ultimate Guide to Aquatic Therapy

What is Aquatic Therapy?

A form of physical therapy, aquatic therapy takes place under the supervision and guidance of a healthcare professional in a swimming pool .

Also known as aquatic therapy, hydrotherapy, pool therapy or therapeutic aquatic exercise.

Aquatic therapy is performed by medical professionals who are licensed in the United States. They have the right scope of practice, and they can use American Medical Association’s (AMA) current procedural terminology (CPT) code. Aquatic therapy is a certification that can be added to the existing credentials of physical therapists, athletic trainers, and occupational therapists.

Aquatherapy programs have a variety of goals.

Flexibility is key to improving your business

Improve your coordination and balance

Strengthening muscle mass and endurance

Enhancing aerobic capacity

Helping with locomotion and gait

Reduce stress and promote relaxation

Aquatic therapy differs from aquatic exercise and aquatic fitness in that it is a specialty of physical medicine and rehab. It requires a professional to be involved and many insurance companies cover the treatment due to its personalized nature.

Aquatic exercise is not supervised by a professional, unlike aquatic therapy. Aquatic exercise is not covered by insurance and often occurs in a group, with people of different fitness levels.

It is important to distinguish between adaptive aquatics and aquatic therapy. Adaptive aquatics is the teaching of people with disabilities to safely swim in the water. Aquatic therapy is not focused on teaching clients to swim.

In general, water therapy services are offered by hospitals, sports medicine centers and outpatient rehabilitation facilities. Aquatic therapy is often offered by senior living centers to help their residents maintain or improve their fitness, strength and balance.

 

History of Aquatic therapy

Water therapy is used in many parts of the world. Consider these examples:

  • Ancient Greeks, Romans and other ancient cultures bathed in hot water springs for relaxation and to promote circulation.
  • Hippocrates suggested bathing in springwater to treat illness.
  • The Swiss monks have been known to use thermal water to treat the sick and disabled in their communities.
  • Onsens or Japanese hot springs are believed to have medicinal properties that include treating chronic pain, skin disorders, menstrual disorders, and relieving constipation.
  • German doctors were strong believers in the benefits of pediatric water therapy. In the 1960s, and 1970s, water birthing became very popular in Germany.

Clinical Aquatic Therapy: Benefits

Clinics can benefit greatly from aquatic therapy. You can achieve these benefits by adding aquatic fitness equipment to the facility:

1. Client Outcomes

2. Ability to offer therapy sooner

3. Increased Revenue

Better Client Outcomes

Clinical outcomes can be improved by offering aquatic therapy. The buoyancy, viscosity and hydrostatic pressure of water make it ideal for therapeutic use.

The water’s buoyancy is gentler on the body of a patient or athlete because it reduces the gravity on their joints and muscles. This allows for floating and minimal pressure to be placed on injured areas. The hydrostatic pressure of water can reduce pain and risk of falling for patients. It provides stability, support, and an increased cardiovascular return. This decrease in risk makes clients feel safer and increases their cooperation.

Warm water can increase patient comfort and allow clinicians to create a relaxing, soothing therapeutic environment. When patients feel relaxed and enjoy their therapy, they are more likely keep their appointments.

Aquatic therapy can be a gentle, comforting way to strengthen muscles and improve rehabilitation. The natural viscosity of water provides resistance that people need to increase their strength. Viscosity forces the respiratory muscles of a patient to work harder. This increases their long-term benefit.

Physical therapists can provide aquatic therapy more easily because they are able to gently manipulate their patients using wave propagation or turbulence. Individuals can experience less pain, recover faster, and have a better quality of life with increased comfort, reduced fear, and improved strength. Your facility can benefit from the satisfaction your clients feel about their results.

Ability to offer therapy sooner

The fact that facilities can offer aquatic therapy sooner than land-based therapies increases patient satisfaction. Aquatic therapy is gentler on the joints and muscles than other forms of physical therapy. This allows physicians to clear patients sooner for this type of therapy.

The ability to recover faster from injury is a great benefit to busy professionals and athletes who want to get back to their sport. Aquatic wellness services can help you attract more customers to your business by helping patients get back to their regular activities faster.

INCREASED RECEVENUE

Offering a faster and more comfortable therapy can help you gain a competitive advantage over your competitors, as well as increase your revenue. Few health centers provide aquatic therapy and those that do tend to have pools with low temperatures. Doctors are more likely refer patients to you if you have warm-water aqua fitness equipment. This will increase your clientele and revenue.

Conditions Water Therapy Can Help

The following conditions may benefit from water therapy:

  • Arthritis
  • Arthroscopic Surgery Recovery
  • Autism
  • Balance disorders
  • Bursitis
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Chronic Pain
  • The following are some of the ways to reduce your risk:
  • Joint pain idiopathic
  • Joint reconstruction surgery recovery
  • Joint Replacement Surgery Recovery
  • Lower back pain
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Orthopedic injuries
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Scoliosis
  • Stress
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Sprains and strains
  • Stroke
  • Tendonitis
  • Traumatic Brain Injury

Water therapy is beneficial for people of all ages, including those with special needs. A physical therapist who is trained can design a session to accommodate any physical limitations due to age. This will promote a positive experience.

Aquatic Exercise Program Safety

Aquatic therapy practitioners must be trained to provide a safe environment. This includes first aid, CPR and oxygen administration. They should also have been taught blood-borne pathogens, risk awareness, automated external defibrillation (AED), and automated external defibrillators.

Aquatic therapy should be considered on a per-case basis. Aqua therapy is not appropriate in the following situations:

  • High fever
  • Wounds that are not closed (unless they have been covered by bio-occlusive dressing).
  • Incontinence
  • Uncontrolled seizure disorders
  • COPD and other respiratory problems
  • You may be taking medication that affects cognition
  • Client is pregnant and experiencing complications
  • Chlorine or Bromine allergy
  • Fear of water is a serious fear
  • Hepatitis-A Patients