HydroWorx® Aquatic Physical Therapy Pool
HydroWorx® Aquatic Physical Therapy Pool uses the therapeutic properties of a water environment to provide effective rehabilitation exercise. The Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute (OSMI) believes that aquatic physical therapy is fundamental to your recovery. At the OSMI, we combine certified physical therapists with state-of-the-art equipment to aide your recovery.
Aquatic physical therapy supports and acts as a cushion for your weight-bearing joints to help prevent strain, injury or re-injury common in weight-bearing exercise programs. This type of therapy is designed to improve gait, muscle strength, balance, agility, and coordination. HydroWorx® Therapy Pool is one of many tools that therapists can use to assist the healing process of musculoskeletal issues and conditions for patients of all ages.
Health Conditions Aided by the HydroWorx® Therapy Pool
Therapists specializing in aquatic physical therapy can specifically tailor treatment to each individual patient using underwater treadmills and orthotic, or other assistive tools, designed for water. Aquatic physical therapy may be used to treat these conditions:
- Athletic Injury
- Joint Replacement
- Back Rehabilitation
- Pre/Post Operative Rehabilitation
- Work Injury
- Neurological Impairment (M.S. and Parkinson's)
- Arthritis
- Lymphedema
- Chronic Pain
- Fibromyalgia
Benefits of the HydroWorx® Therapy Pool
An underwater treadmill in the HydroWorx® Therapy Pool is an ideal tool for rehabilitation from an injury by eliminating 20 to 100 percent of a person's body weight, thereby reducing impact on joints. In many cases, someone who may be able to walk up to 10 minutes on land, can easily walk for 30 minutes in the water. Pressure sensors in the treadmill allow therapists to analyze gait patterns, help examine step length, evidence of toeing out, and adequate heel strike. These HydroWorx® Therapy Pool features benefit patients by:
- Promoting early range of motion
- Initiating low-impact gait training
- Replicating the proper biomechanics of land-based movements
- Improving cardiovascular stamina
- Increasing healing and strengthening of injured tissues
- Impacting muscle strengthening
Combining HydroWorx® Therapy Pool and Aquatic Physical Therapy
The HydroWorx® Therapy Pool provides a safe, low-impact environment, allowing patients who are unable to exercise out of the water to dive right in to physical therapy rehabilitation. Aquatic Physical Therapy specialists design underwater therapy programs to promote:
- Faster Healing: Early joint movement helps prevent stiffness, edema, and muscle atrophy
- Decreased Pain and Swelling: Hydrostatic water pressure decreases pain and swelling, and increases blood circulation
- Increased Range of Motion: Water reduces the supportive role of muscles so they can relax and stretch more effectively
- Improved Strength: Water provides resistance to every movement
- Reduced Gravitational Pull: The water buoyancy supports the body and reduces pressure on compressed joints
- Comfort and Sense of Well-Being: Rehabilitation distress can be relieved with water at therapeutic temperatures (between 88 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit) allowing ease of movement and increase blood flow to muscles
The highly-skilled sports medicine physical therapy staff at the Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute looks forward to guiding your rehabilitation, with care and understanding. Call today 817-529-1900 or submit an online appointment request to find out how your needs and goals can be met in a comfortable, gravity-free environment through aquatic physical therapy.
