Benefits of Aquatic Therapy and Effects

on Low Back Pain and Spinal Cord Injuries

By: Priscilla Almeida

History of Aquatic Therapy● individual and social

regenerative process of bathing

● ancient civilization used the waters for cleaning the earthly body of disease and cleansing the spiritual body of sins

● safe and effective

● helps:

o improve function

o fitness

o balance

o coordination

o flexibility

o strength

General Benefits of Aquatherapy

● Water’s unique properties

o resistance/ turbulence

builds muscle and bone strength

o flow/ thermal energy

warmth of water encourages movement and pumps synovial fluid

o buoyancy

o hydrostatic pressure

Benefits of Aquatherapy

● takes away the pressure off the body● supports body weight and decreases stress

on joints because of the loss of gravity● challenges postural alignment because helps

patients maintain fixed or aligned position in the water

Buoyancy and the Principles of Archimedes

● Center of buoyancy located at T11

● Bouguer’s Theorem - when metacenter is above the center

of gravity located at S2, the body is in a state of equilibrium

in the water● explains the lack of equilibrium

patients with amputations experience in water

Metacenter

● Pascal’s law indicates that when a body is immersed in water there is hydrostatic pressure

● It stimulates sensory input that occurs as the density of the fluid exerts pressure upon the tissues

● Buoyancy and hydrostatic pressure interact together to produce weightlessness

Hydrostatic Pressure

● explains the relief of pain and promotion of relaxation in warm water

● 92-96 degrees F water has therapeutic value according to Lehmanno except multiple sclerosis patients

● Heat over the area of peripheral nerve raises the pain threshold and inhibits firing of alpha motor neurons of the muscle spindle

Thermal Energy

Application of Aquatic Therapy and its Effects on Lower Back Pain and Spinal Cord

Injuries

● How soon can wounds be immersed in water after orthopedic surgery and the optimal time to begin aquatic therapy?o Low-risk (no adverse effects) and

effective to improve functional outcomes (pain, edema, strength, and ROM)

Villalta and Peiris (2013)

“The aquatic environment can therefore be used to regain mobility, strengthen muscles, commence early weight bearing, and help reduce pain and perceived discomfort, allowing the subject to achieve more than he or she usually can on land and may even eliminate the need for any other form of physical therapy.”

- Villaita and Peiris (2013)

● study in May 2012 issue of JOSPTo water’s ability to decrease load by a

runner based on the depth of water running on land water at hip level water at chest level speeds: 90, 110, and 130 steps per min

Shallow Vs. Deep Water Activities

● the circular waves called eddies formed as a body moves forward through the water produce a drag force posterior to the body

● faster you move, greater the drag force

● patients with balance problems and postural deficits will have more difficulty with forward gait in shallow water

Explanation

● applied intervention that incorporates static passive stretches

● focus is to allow the body to drift into a deeper state of relaxation

● spine flexibility increased once relaxation is achieved thanks to weightlessness effects of water

Watsu Method

Watsu Method Images

● Decreases axial loading in spine● Aqua exercises positively affects

pulmonary function more than land exercises (Jung et al.)o increase FVCo increase FEFo increase FEV

Aquatic Rehabilitation Strategies for Spinal Cord Injuries

● inflammatory arthritis affecting the spine and large joints of the body

● Dundar et al. compared AT to PT o measures:

pain spinal mobility disease activity disability (AT) quality of life (AT)

Treating Ankylosing Spondylitis

● Baeno-Baeto et al. researched the effects of AT with different freq. (2 vs 3 days/week) in chronic low back paino AT showed better improvements in

CLBP decreased levels of back pain and

disability increased quality of life improved fitness (not composition)

o 3 days/week better than 2 days

Aquatic Rehabilitation Strategies for Lower Back Pain

● Irandoust and Taheri (2015)o Can AT decrease obesity, increase

muscular strength, and consequently decrease low back symptoms in the elderly?

o measures: BMI PBF WHR trunk muscle mass

Aquatherapy in decreasing nonspecific low back pain

Aquatic Rehabilitation Strategies for Lower Back Pain

Water has many unique properties that result in the success of aquatic rehabilitation strategies.

Conclusion

And it’s effective not only in treating low back pain and spinal cord injuries, but also many other conditions as

well.