Though cardiovascular fitness is great for your heart, it can sometimes be hard on your joints. Especially when you jog, each time you take a step, the impact of your body weight is a burden on your joints.
This can be a problem for individuals who have suffered from an injury, have arthritis, or are just getting older. Because of the negative impact on the joints, physical therapists have looked for ways to help their patients strengthen their body without deteriorating the joints in the lags.
Many recovering athletes, osteoarthritis patients, and aging individuals have turned to pool exercise for their fitness needs. Water exercise is also known as aquatic exercise, pool therapy, and hydrotherapy.
This new method that is growing in popularity among rehabilitation facilities can include aerobic or endurance activities, stretching and strengthening exercises, and range-of-motion movements; all of which are performed in a warm pool. Studies have shown that the best temperature to exercise in a pool that is between 82 degrees Fahrenheit and 86 degrees Fahrenheit.
Therapeutic pools, on the other hand, are usually heated from between 92 degrees Fahrenheit and 98 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the best temperature for gentle range-of-motion fitness. The reason why pool workouts are better for the body is because the buoyancy of the water supports the body's weight so that you are essentially weightless.
This means that there is no weight impact on your joints as you move. You still get the full range of motion, but you do not have to support your body when doing exercises.
In waist-deep water, you bear only about 50 percent of your weight. In chest-deep water, you subtract another 25 percent of your body weight.
For osteoarthritis patients who struggle to stand and walk on weight-bearing joints, like the hip and knee, there is less stress on the joints in the pool. A fitness program performed in water is still an effective workout as water provides 12 times the resistance of air.
Walking in water allows the arthritis patient to build and strengthen muscle. Movements that are painful on land are much less painful in water for people with arthritis.
People with knee osteoarthritis and hip osteoarthritis who perform exercises in warm water get more benefit than they do on dry land. There have been many studies performed to show the benefits of aquatic workouts.
One study had patients with only hip osteoarthritis and the other had only knee osteoarthritis patients. In the studies, one group of patients did aquatic exercises for various lengths of time and various sessions; while other patients exercised on land or not at all.
The patients were then assessed after three months. Researchers concluded that in people with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee, pain decreased with aquatic fitness, and function improved.
Small to moderate improvement was observed for function and quality of life, with a minor effect on pain level. Researchers believe aquatic fitness has beneficial short-term effects on hip and knee osteoarthritis; but no long-term effects have yet been determined.
Before trying any type of workout, discuss it with your doctor to make sure it is safe. While aquatic exercise seems like a good thing, be certain that for you, the benefits outweigh the risks.
Many arthritis patients have a difficult time sticking with a fitness program because fitness can exacerbate pain in the short term. In the long term, fitness can actually reduce pain by strengthening muscles that surround the joints; but it can be tricky to know how much fitness is appropriate before crossing over into too much exercise and overdoing it.
Water walking is becoming popular not only among arthritis patient, but among athletes who are recovering for knee injuries and torn muscles in the leg. If you are not good at swimming, you can walk in the shallow end of the pool or walk in the deep end with a flotation belt.
Aquatic aerobics allows you to more easily walk backwards, sideways, and frontwards to tone different muscles. Sitting along the pool edge and doing kicks or squats also enhance your workout.
If you are interested in aquatic exercise make sure your doctor tells you that it is safe. You may also consider working with a physical therapist to get some guidance and advice.
Author Resource:-
Terry Daniels is an accomplished expert in health and fitness. He recommends the besttreadmill you can find in the market.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.massagebyben.com/articles/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites 