The Benefits Of Water Therapy For Back Pain

The Benefits Of Water Therapy For Back Pain

One of the most commonly recommended courses of treatment for a range of back problems is exercise. Exercise helps to strengthen different muscle groups, which can help to stabilize your spine, resolve inflammation and address other underlying causes of spinal discomfort. However, depending on your spinal issue, it may not be very easy to pursue traditional exercise as a result of your discomfort. Moreover, certain spinal conditions like a pinched nerve or disc degeneration may actually intensify if you pursue a standard exercise routine like running or lifting weights.

We still want you to be active and work to strengthen your spine, but traditional exercise may not be the answer. For these patients, water therapy can sometimes be the perfect solution. In today’s blog, we explain why aqua therapy can be very helpful for treating a variety of spinal conditions.

Aqua Therapy For Spine Conditions

A water-based recovery program can help alleviate symptoms or ward off the progression of a number of different back conditions. Whether you’re an athlete working their way back from a ligament tear, a senior citizen working to overcome the challenges of spinal arthritis, or you’re simply hoping to expand your comfortable range of motion in your spine, aqua therapy could be perfect for you. A water-based therapy program offers some unique benefits that you can’t get with a traditional workout on land, including:

• Natural Resistance – Water forces you to overcome natural resistance to movement. Gentle movements in the water may not seem too difficult, but they still offer more resistance than performing the act on land. As you move your body faster in the water, they endure more resistance, which means not only do your muscles need to work harder to move in the water than on land, but exercises can be designed or altered based on where you’re at in your recovery program.
• Pain Control – The natural buoyancy of water means that we feel much lighter in the water than on land. Combined with hydrostatic pressure – which is the force of water against one’s body – and you may notice a reduction in the amount of pressure that your spinal joints are under. They can move without as much natural pressure that they would feel on land, and when joints can move more easily, pain can be better controlled.
• Increased Flexibility – The water is also a great place to work on your flexibility and your range of motion. This increased flexibility is again the result of water’s natural buoyancy, meaning it’s easier to bend, twist and turn in the water. You can more easily expand your comfortable range of motion with a water-based exercise program.
• Increased Blood Flow – As we mentioned above, your muscles have to work harder to move while they are submerged in water, and the same goes for other areas of your body like your heart and your lungs. Your heart needs to work harder to push oxygenated blood to the muscles that are working hard, and this oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood can be great for helping to resolve spinal inflammation.
• Tension And Anxiety Relief – Gentle movements in water are great for relieving built up muscle tension in your spine and neck, and the soothing feel of the water on your body can be relaxing for many. Water-based exercises and activity can act as a natural stress reliever, and as we’ve discussed on the blog in the past, mental and emotional stress can lead to physical issues, especially in your spine.

If you’re interested in learning more about how aqua therapy can complement your current treatment program, or to get a better idea of what’s causing your spinal discomfort in the first place, reach out to Dr. Jackman and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today (651) 430-3800.