St. Francisville Rehab Services

Experience aquatic therapy close to home. St. Francisville Rehab Services offers a 94-degree therapy pool located on the campus of West Feliciana Hospital.

What is Aquatic Therapy?

Aquatic Therapy is a particular intervention of physical therapy that uses the physical properties of water to achieve therapeutic benefits. It involves exercises, stretching, and other activities, performed in a 94-degree heated pool. This type of therapy assists patients who are recovering from musculoskeletal injuries or those working to reduce the effects of chronic conditions like arthritis or obesity. The water provides resistance to improve strength, as well as buoyancy which creates weight support for decreasing impact on recovering bones and joints, and hydrostatic pressure, which decreases swelling. The warmth of the water also helps with alleviating pain and discomfort. Aquatic Therapy can be used in conjunction with more traditional outpatient therapies. Best of all, it is available right here, at St. Francisville Rehab Services, the only facility in the area to offer this unique form of rehabilitation.

What are the Benefits of Aquatic Therapy?

There is a wide range of advantages to performing physical therapy in water.

• Water immersion provides resistance for strength training, helping patients strengthen muscles without the use of weights, which puts less stress on recovering joints.
• Water’s buoyancy allows patients weakened by injury or illness to stand, move, and exercise without risking additional injury.
• Warm water applies hydrostatic pressure to the body, providing support while decreasing swelling and improving joint position awareness.
• Immersion in warm water reduces pain sensitivity, while also relaxing muscles and dilating blood vessels, improving blood flow to injured areas.

What Kinds of Conditions Are Treated with Aquatic Therapy?

Water-based exercise can be used to treat many conditions. Some of the most common include:

• Arthritis and rheumatoid diseases: Warm water helps alleviate tension and joint swelling.
• Before and after joint replacement rehabilitation: Water’s buoyancy allows joints to be moved and exercised without weight stress.
• Stroke rehabilitation: Aquatic therapy can help patients relearn physical skills without placing additional stress on the body.
• Sports injuries: Water’s heat and hydrostatic pressure work to increase blood circulation to injured areas while decreasing swelling.
• Bone fractures: Buoyancy relieves or eliminates body weight, allowing healing limbs to be moved and exercised sooner and more freely.
• Back, hip, and knee pain: Warm water increases circulation, and effectively reduces pain and muscle spasms.
• Fibromyalgia: Water therapy enables patients to perform low-load stretching and low-impact aerobic exercise while avoiding the pain brought on by the condition.
• Obesity: Water’s resistance and weight support help patients with range-of-motion and other flexibility-related issues to exercise effectively while experiencing less pain than on land-based exercise.
• Joint sprains, torn ligaments, soft tissue swelling: Hydrostatic pressure reduces joint and soft tissue swelling, allowing patients to avoid pain while strengthening muscles, increasing range-of-motion, and avoiding de-conditioning.

What Kinds of Exercises Are Performed in Aquatic Therapy?

Your physical therapist will prescribe a routine of exercises based on your individual situation, but some common and effective exercises include walking in water (to build strength and stability), jumping jacks (to enhance cardiovascular fitness, improve coordination, and build strength), and upper and lower body resistance exercises (usually done using aids like hand webs, water weights, or noodles)

Could it Help Me?

If you’re suffering from an illness or recovering from an injury, ask your healthcare provider whether aquatic therapy might help. St. Francisville Rehab Services offers individualized therapy treatments, as well as physical, occupational, and speech therapy for adults and children, all under one roof. Learn more about St. Francisville Rehab Services’ aquatic therapy offerings online or by calling 3811.