Water-Based Exercises Can Help With Aches & Pains

Our Texas temperatures have already exceeded the 100 degree mark, and it is still June! As a result, young and old alike are seeking cooler remedies from the heat and humidity, and refreshing pools seem to provide that relief!

A popular way to refresh your body, exercise and stay cool–all at the same time–can be found with water-based exercises. The low-impact exercise let participants stretch, twist, and work those muscles in a way that make you feel good and have improved fitness at the same time. But water aerobics or water-based therapy isn’t for everyone.

Before signing up for any water-based exercise or therapy program, check with your doctor to make sure that this type of activity is right for you. Often, sufferers of back or neck pain or individuals who are older or who have other physical limitations prefer water-based exercise programs to other alternatives. Water aerobics is also a good program for individuals who are overweight and/or generally out of shape.

If you do have any physical limitations, check out how participants enter the water and make sure you feel safe, comfortable and confident in the method for entering the pool. If the pool bottom or entry seems slippery, you may wish to purchase inexpensive water shoes and keep those on during the exercise or therapy program. Look also for hand rails or safety grasps to provide you with extra stability as you enter or exit the water. Some pools also feature rubber mats or similar non-slip bottoms.

If you have severely limited endurance or range of motion, are fearful of the water, or have any kind of severe heart issues, incontinence, fever or infection, you should not participate in a water exercise program. If you are starting an exercise program due to osteoporosis, keep in mind that water exercise may not be as beneficial as weight-bearing (land) exercise programs, so you may want to complement your water program with something on shore as well.

Also ask about the average water temperature of the pool, and make sure you are happy with the level it is kept at. Therapy pools are often kept almost as warm as bath water to assist with blood circulation. However, many water aerobic exercise programs are held in backyard or recreational swimming pools, so the temperature there may vary more.

As long as a water program meets your needs, it can provide relief from minor back or neck soreness or pain in a low-impact fashion. If you have severe or chronic pain, call us to discuss whether The Minimally Invasive Spine Institute can provide you a quality lifestyle free from back or neck pain!

Tags: arthritis, Chronic Pain, Excerise, lower back pain, Medical Questions, Medical Tips, Neck Pain, Sprains, work out