Arthritis Therapy Pools (and the People who Love Them)
Why these customers choose water therapy for arthritis relief
To alleviate the pain of arthritis, many people turn to aquatic exercise in home therapy pools. There’s a solid body of evidence demonstrating that aquatic therapy pools can offer symptom relief for arthritis sufferers. And Endless Pools customers have shown that an arthritis therapy pool can range from the utilitarian to the luxurious!
THERAPY POOL RESEARCH FOR ARTHRITIS
Endless Pools® customers have long told us that that regular exercise in their therapy pools provides effective symptom relief. Formal scientific research backs that up.
A four-month study in the UK compared aquatic therapy to dry-land exercise and therapies. For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the researchers concluded, “hydrotherapy produced the greatest improvements.”
Separately, researchers at Utah State University tested a water treadmill for seniors with knee osteoarthritis. They found that, after six weeks, walking on an underwater treadmill improved balance, reduced joint pain, and boosted overall mobility.
The Arthritis Foundation recommends warm water therapy for people with arthritis. They cite Bruce E. Becker, MD, director of the National Aquatics & Sports Medicine Institute at Washington State University in Spokane; he says that warm water therapy “makes the joints looser. It reduces pain, and it seems to have a somewhat prolonged effect that goes beyond the period of immersion.”
The Arthritis Foundation specifically recommends swimming and therapy pool exercises that use water’s natural resistance.
SOURCES:
- Arthritis Foundation, “Warm Water Works Wonders on Pain.”
- Arthritis Foundation, “Developing a Well-rounded Workout.”
- “A randomized and controlled trial of hydrotherapy in rheumatoid arthritis.” Arthritis Care Research, 1996 Jun;9(3):206-15.
- “High-Intensity Interval Training on an Aquatic Treadmill in Adults With Osteoarthritis: Effect on Pain, Balance, Function and Mobility.” The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2014 Aug;28(8):2088-96.
- “Effect of Swimming on Clinical Functional Parameters and Serum Biomarkers in Healthy and Osteoarthritic Dogs.” ISRN Vet Sci. 2014; 2014: 459809. Published online 2014 Jan 9. doi: 10.1155/2014/459809
Original blog from: https://www.endlesspools.com/
