Aquatic therapy uses the properties of water to help children make therapeutic gains that are difficult for them to attain through land therapy. Normalization of muscle tone, improvements in strength, balance, range of motion, cardiovascular endurance and circulation are just some of the therapeutic gains of aquatic therapy.
Aquatic therapy can also be beneficial for self-regulation and sensory processing.
A number of different patient populations can benefit from aquatic therapy. Some of the commonly treated populations at Cheshire Fitness Zone include:
In order to understand how aquatic therapy may help your child, it is important to have a general understanding about the effects of the properties of water on the body. Select a tab below to learn more.
Decreases the amount of weight bearing through joints. This improves balance and core stability, while encouraging your child to work against the water. Floatation activities are also used for relaxation to decrease muscle tone and improve range of motion. Buoyancy can also be helpful with floatation activities that are used for relaxation in order to decrease muscle tone and improve joint range of motion.
Viscosity is the property of a fluid that resists the force tending to cause the fluid to flow, which creates a natural resistance of the water. This helps strengthening muscles of the core and limbs. Cardiovascular endurance can be improved by increased resistance. Speed of movements in the water can be graded in order to achieve the desired result; as speed of movement increases, the resistance provided by water also increases and consequently, as the speed of movement decreases, the resistance provided by water decreases.
Defined as the force exerted by the water on a submerged body. Water’s property helps “squeeze” your child in the water, which allows outside stimuli to be tuned out. Improving circulation can be helped by hydrostatic pressure as well because it provides an external force on the child, while moving through water.
Warmer water temperature is beneficial for relaxation of muscle tone and limits involuntary or statistic movements.
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