In today’s day and age we are surrounded with high tech therapies, surgical advances, and pharmacologic “Quick fixes." However sometimes the best remedies are found within the simple, the natural, and indeed, the very old.
The benefits of water are ancient and vast. Aquatic Therapy has been documented as a therapeutic medium since ancient Rome.
In 312 B.C. Romans began using hot baths and pools as a healing remedy. During the 1200s, steam baths appeared from the Greeks, and mineral springs were thought to have medicinal value worldwide. In Japan, “Onsen," or hot springs have been utilized throughout history for their healing properties, and are still very popular today.
Throughout Europe, Asia, Brazil, and even Canada, Aquatic Therapy is utilized very commonly today within the medical system as a first-line treatment for all forms of pain to address the underlying cause of a condition (including fibromyalgia, arthritis, back pain, sports injuries, MS, etc) as opposed to just prescribing medication.
Thankfully, America is beginning to follow suit!
Being in water significantly reduces stress throughout the body and facilitates healing. Much of the magic in water is due to the wonderful properties it holds - such as the upward force of buoyancy, creating the sensation of weightlessness in water.
Buoyancy is defined by Webster's as: "1. The ability or tendency to float in water or air or some other fluid; the power of a liquid to keep something afloat. 2. An optimistic and cheerful disposition."
Aquatic Therapy allows for less stressful treatment and greater mindfulness than traditional therapies typically provide. Water submersion unloads stress on muscles and joints, creating joint decompression and allowing the body as well as the mind to simply relax. In chest deep water, body weight is reduced to 25 percent, reducing stress on the joints, muscles, and more often than not uplifting a person’s disposition and sense of well-being.
Aquatic-based rehabilitation began in the United States after the polio epidemic in 1916. It is said that a young polio patient fell from his wheelchair into a pool, and while attempting to keep himself afloat, he discovered he could move his paralyzed legs, which was not possible on land. He continued with a water exercise program to strengthen his lower extremities, and eventually progressed from being wheelchair-bound to walking with only a cane.
In our Water Therapy practice, we have witnessed many "Miracles" and we share our passion for water with each and every one of our patients. Using the healing properties of warm water, age-old therapies and exercises, along with creative techniques to meet each person's unique skill level, we aim to provide a gentle, safe, and altogether pleasant mode of getting and staying well.
"Healing energy comes from Source — it runs within us, and through us, emanating from us and to us."
-Dr. Eric Pearl, The Reconnection
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