Aquatic Therapy
Aquatic therapy is physical therapy done in water, where buoyancy supports your weight and warmth relaxes your muscles so exercise is easier on painful joints. Our Physicians clinic in El Paso, Texas, has a heated aquatic therapy pool that can help improve strength, endurance, balance and mobility.
Therapy with the water holding some of your weight
Pool therapy, also called water therapy or hydrotherapy, lets you move when land exercise hurts too much. While you are submerged, the water carries part of your body weight, so each joint has less load to bear and exercise is easier and less painful.
That makes aquatic physical therapy especially useful for people with Arthritis & Joint Pain, where pool exercises for arthritis build strength with less joint stress, and for people with healing fractured bones or extra body weight. Our therapists work with you in the pool so they can guide each movement.
Four things water does for your recovery
Warmth
Temperature helps relax muscles and increase blood flow to injured areas, which aids healing.
Pressure
Hydrostatic pressure helps reduce swelling and improves joint position awareness, which matters after sprains or when balance is reduced.
Resistance
The viscosity of water gives you a steady source of resistance for muscle strengthening.
Support
Buoyancy decreases the weight each joint carries, so exercises are easier and less painful.
The pool at our Physicians clinic
The pool is always set to 94 degrees Fahrenheit and has several depths, so our clinicians can treat different patients, injuries and stages of weight bearing. It is a multi-depth pool for people recovering from all phases of injury or illness.
- A variable-speed underwater treadmill with a cushioned, low-impact, high-traction surface, for gait training and therapeutic or sport-specific work
- Multi-directional resistance jets with variable speeds, used for orthopedic therapy, balance training and core strengthening
- Massage attachments for the jets, for deep-tissue massage
- Built-in stairs with a hand rail, and a lift chair for patients who cannot use the stairs safely
- Cameras and a viewing monitor that give live feedback on your movement so we can adjust your walking pattern
What pool therapy can work on
- Everyday tasks
- Endurance and conditioning
- Balance and coordination
- Flexibility
- Walking
- Relaxation
- Muscle strength and power
From the pool back to land
The water is a stepping stone, not the finish line. We move you out of the water so your body can gain dynamic stability and adapt to the loads of gravity and everyday life. Many of our patients do both land and aquatic therapy as part of their plan.
We often use it for back pain, recovery after surgery, chronic pain, hip pain and knee pain.
Before you get in the pool
Where is the pool?
Our aquatic therapy pool is at our Physicians clinic in El Paso, Texas. If you are looking for aquatic therapy near me, call either clinic and we will help you plan your visits.
Why is the water kept so warm?
The pool is always set to 94 degrees Fahrenheit. Warmth helps relax muscles and increase blood flow to injured areas.
What if I cannot use the stairs?
The pool has a lift chair for patients who cannot get in and out of the water safely using the stairs.
Do I need a referral, and is it covered?
Texas allows direct access to physical therapy, so in many cases you do not need a referral to begin. Call us and we will help verify your insurance requirements before your first visit. Most insurance coverage is accepted.
Aquatic therapy in El Paso, Texas
Call our Edgemere or Physicians clinic, or request an appointment, and we will find a time to see you in El Paso, Texas.
We see patients at our Edgemere and Physicians clinics in El Paso, Texas.