Get rid of your pain with aquatic therapy!

All too often, when a person is in pain, the last thing they want to do is any physical activity. But, as time goes on, people who don't move, stretch or exercise an injured area will experience MORE pain! When you try to protect an injured area of your body, you decrease the flow of fresh blood to that area. Because blood flow stimulates healing, by limiting your physical movement when in pain, you are interrupting the healing process. Additionally, this can trigger an increase in muscle spasms, which puts you in a pain cycle that will be hard to break.

So how can you heal without making your pain worse? Try aquatic physical therapy!

One of the major benefits of aquatic therapy is that water makes you feel good. Water provides an environment of added support and relief to the injured area. In the water, it is easier and less painful to begin the healing process. Because the water takes gravity out of the equation, people can begin therapy earlier; and therefore start feeling better sooner.

Another added benefit of aquatic therapy is that water provides an excellent source of mild resistance. This creates the perfect environment to implement a low impact stretching and exercise program to begin recovery.

It is important to keep in mind that we live on land and not in water. "After a patient has seen a decrease in pain and an increase in range of motion, they begin transitioning to on-land therapy," said Mark Bengtson, MPT, and owner of Pinnacle Physical Therapy.

Who can benefit from aquatic therapy? People who experience neck or back pain, any joint pain in the shoulders, hips, knees or ankles, pregnant women or patients recently recovering from an orthopedic surgery.

Locally, Pinnacle Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine has an aquatic therapy program with immediate availability. Call (208) 777-4242 for more information!