Archive for the ‘Water Exercise’ Category

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, water exercise is beneficial for just about everyone. There are times though when one might avoid the water or need to take precautionary measures to ensure safety. I believe this is particularly true for those who suffer with chronic pain including but not limited to back pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, and any other condition within those categories. Here are just a few reasons to possibly avoid water exercise:

1. When you have not been released by your doctor to exercise in the water. I list this reason as the first and most important one.

2.  When the water temperature is too cold or too hot. According to Fred Brockett of Therapeutic Systems Inc. therapy pools are generally kept at a temperature of 92-94 degrees. After speaking with him I looked up more information and found that the Arthritis Foundation recommends a temperature of at least 85 degrees Fahrenheit. These high temperatures lead me to number 3 on this list.

3. Avoid strenuous exercise is a therapy pool. Therapy pools are set at high temperatures and therefore are dangerous for endurance training.

4. Avoid if you struggle with incontinence.

5. Avoid if you have an infection or fever.

6. Possibly bring water shoes to decrease the chance of falling and slipping especially while entering and exiting the pool.

References: The National MS Society; The Everyday Arthritis Solution: Food, Movement, and Lifestyle Secrets to …by Richard Laliberte, Virginia Byers Kraus, Daniel S. Rooks - 2003; The Neuropathy Association; and Spine-health.com.

As we continue our look at chronic pain I thought we’d turn our focus onto some of the practical ways to help ease pain. I want to start with a little disclaimer. First, I am not saying that all pain can be relieved at all times by just simply using these exercises or any of the suggestions in these posts. There are so many different situations that I couldn’t even begin to address and nor do I have the educational background or training to address. Also, please consult your physician before trying any exercises on this site and  particularly if you suffer from any chronic pain.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s start talking about water exercise. There are so many benefits to water exercise for any body, young or old, chronic pain or non. Here is a short list:

1) Water exercise reduces impact on joints.

2) Water exercise is a “liquid weight machine” and therefore can be beneficial for many of the same reasons we do weight bearing exercises.

3) Because of buoyancy (the ability to float or seem lighter) there is less chance of falling down and thus providing more freedom to move.

Come back next week to learn about specific exercises and therapy pools.

Some information provided by Fitness Theory & Practice, AFAA Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, 2002.