Are you looking for a fun, safe place for your child with special needs to get exercise? Did you know water’s natural properties can help reduce the symptoms associated with common childhood disorders? At Exercise Sport Physical Therapy, our physical therapists work with children with special needs in our therapy pool to help get them moving and having fun, so they look forward to doing their therapy!
Aquatic therapy is a form of physical therapy that uses the benefits of water as part of a therapeutic intervention. The natural properties of water, including buoyancy, hydrostatic pressure, and natural resistance, makes aquatic-based exercises efficient and effective for alleviating musculoskeletal pain and relaxing tight or restricted muscles.
Our aquatic therapy programs at Exercise Sport Physical Therapy are designed to improve your child’s mobility, strength, postural awareness, coordination, and endurance. Your child’s therapist will create an exercise program to challenge them while ensuring they have fun too!
To learn more about aquatic therapy, contact Exercise Sport Physical Therapy to schedule an appointment today!
What is special about aquatic therapy?
Water’s natural properties set the stage for a therapeutic environment. Aquatic therapy is a safe environment for kids dealing with pain, neurological disorders, developmental delays, and even some types of injuries or orthopedic conditions. Whether the condition is acute or chronic, water allows you to move while being supported.
Buoyancy helps alleviate the pain associated with juvenile arthritis by providing a gentle decompression of the joints. Conditions in the spine and lower extremities also benefit from this decompression and allow kids pain-free movement and exercise.
Water’s hydrostatic pressures create mild compression, which can help recovery after an injury or where our therapists can safely address their sensitivity to touch. In addition, water has a built-in resistance which allows kids to be safely challenged by having them move faster or by using jets to create currents or turbulence.
Aquatic therapy is a viable modality in the rehabilitation process for achieving optimal quality of life for children with conditions including, but not limited to: aquatic physical therapy can benefit children with various conditions and disorders. Our pool programs will be tailored to address your child’s specific needs and limitations.
- Cerebral Palsy
- Juvenile Arthritis
- Spina Bifida
- Scoliosis
- Down’s Syndrome
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Autism
- Sensory Processing Disorder
- Orthopedic conditions and/or injuries
- Musculoskeletal Pain Syndromes
Aquatic therapy provides a safe, comfortable, and therapeutic alternative for kids with special needs that may have difficulty exercising on land. One of our highly trained therapists will get in the water with your child to ensure their safety, and when appropriate, we may invite their parents to join them!
What to expect at aquatic therapy sessions
At your first appointment, your child will be evaluated thoroughly to develop a comprehensive plan that addresses their specific needs, including aquatic therapy, if it will help them achieve the goals outlined in the program.
Your child’s therapist at Exercise Sport Physical Therapy will use the water’s natural properties to create an exercise program that safely challenges without disrupting progress. Some of the main benefits aquatic therapy offer includes the following:
Reducing stress on the joints: The natural properties of water provide a supportive environment that our therapists can modify with floats or currents to allow for increased mobility. The natural property of water helps to support the body while relieving the pressure through the joints, and as a result, exercise is less painful.
Increasing muscular strength and endurance: The natural resistance of the water can be used to challenge or assist movements. By using a current of water against a movement, by increasing the speed of activity, or by making turbulence (aka waves), your child’s therapist can safely progress the intensity of the exercise.
If you choose to direct the flow of water with a movement, it can reduce the difficulty of an exercise. You can also use floats to support the body and assist actions in reducing the strain.
Reducing muscle tension and promoting relaxation: Water, especially warm water, offers a soothing/relaxing environment to calm tension in tight, restricted muscles.
Improved breathing: The natural hydrostatic pressure in water can make your breathing muscles work a little harder, which serves as an exercise, and as a result, you will be able to breathe more easily on land.
Regardless of your child’s special needs, aquatic therapy can play a vital role in their improvements physically, mentally, and emotionally. Our therapists will often incorporate aquatic therapy to help your child have fun while making improvements to help them live a better life!
Request an appointment right away!
If you are looking for a safe, highly effective way to help your special-needs child move and feel a little better, aquatic therapy might be exactly what you’ve been hoping for!
Call Exercise Sport Physical Therapy physical therapy clinic as soon as possible to learn more about aquatic therapy and how it can help your child with special needs!
