Aquatic Therapy: Here’s Why Hydro Power Works

Athletes can recover faster with aquatic therapy after injury. During rehabilitation, treatment plans can be implemented before ground therapy protocols for early injury intervention. Aquatic therapy also keeps athletes conditioned while they recover so they are ready to play as soon as they return to play.

This ultimate training and recovery tool is beneficial to the athlete and the team. The answer to why it works lies in three basic principles of water: hydrostatic pressure, buoyancy, and viscosity.

Here is a simple explanation of what they are and why they are so important to the success of aquatic therapy.

1. HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE

Hydrostatic pressure is the weight of a fluid, in this case water, against an object. When an athlete enters the water, hydrostatic pressure creates a uniform support system for all submerged body parts.

A. The water completely surrounds the submerged body part on all sides for a complete support system.

B. The deeper you go, the more support you get from the surrounding water. This effect creates a safe environment to prevent injuries from falls, imbalances or excessive stress.

2. BUOYANCY

Buoyancy is the ability to float on water. The deeper you go, the less weight you have to bear. Based on the principles of buoyancy, an athlete submerged up to the neck in water supports 10% of their body weight. If the water is chest-deep, they support 25% of their weight, and if the water is hip-deep, they support 50% of their weight.

The zero impact environment of the water is ideal for getting fit or recovering from injury. Weightlessness means an athlete can perform intense training with less stress and pressure on the joints. Stretching tight muscles is much easier because the buoyancy of the water helps improve range of motion.

In addition, athletes can rehabilitate without further injury. Removing weight from any injury allows therapy protocols to also begin much earlier than traditional ground treatments. This means they can rehab faster, stay fit during recovery, and be ready to play as soon as they recover.

3.VISCOSITY

Viscosity is the resistance of a fluid against an object. In this case, water. The resistance or drag of the water, combined with hydrostatic pressure and buoyancy, creates the ideal environment for training and therapy.

Exercises in the water provide up to 15 times more resistance than the same exercises on land. When a stream of water with varying speeds is added (available at most aquatic therapy pools), this can increase the intensity of workouts or create treatment protocols to help athletes successfully progress through different stages of recovery .

Aquatic fitness and therapy is the ultimate environment that gives athletes the confidence and support to perform proper mechanics with less pain, faster results, and better results.