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What is aquatic therapy?

Aquatic therapy is a type of rehabilitation that uses water's unique, therapeutic properties. For example, we use water to support you during your pool workouts. This support, known as buoyancy, helps you exercise with less effort than working out in a gym. Water also has soothing properties that can help with pain management.

Aquatic therapy can be used to treat a wide variety of conditions, such as:

  • Arthritis, tendonitis or bursitis
  • Chronic pain syndrome
  • Decreased endurance
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Lymphedema
  • Musculoskeletal injuries
  • Paralysis

What are the benefits?

Here’s what aquatic therapy can do for you:

  • Make you physically stronger, without putting pressure on your joints
  • Strengthen your lungs and breathing
  • Increase your range of motion, flexibility and balance
  • Improve circulation and relieve pain
  • Soothe anxiety and encourage communication and social interaction

Why choose Sentara?

Our certified specialists have expertise in creating aquatic therapy programs tailored to a patient’s individual needs. We offer aquatic therapy at a number of Sentara therapy centers.

Services and treatments

Our experts begin your therapy by checking your:

  • Endurance
  • Functional abilities (such as walking and balance)
  • Range of motion
  • Strength
Your therapist provides a personalized level of support by changing your immersion level (how deep you are in the water). Water's resistance helps your muscles, bones and joints get stronger. Your personalized program might include pushups and arm raises. Arm and shoulder exercises, with or without water weights (foam dumbbells you try to push down), strengthen your upper body.

When you're supported by water, you can strengthen your lungs and breathing (known as aerobic conditioning) without stress on your joints. Your therapy program may include:

  • Jogging
  • Kicking
  • Lunges
  • Stretching
  • Walking

As you progress, our specialists adjust the water level in your therapy plan. The water's pressure helps keep you stable as you work on getting stronger.

Find a location

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