Aquatic Physical Therapy in Rancho Bernardo
Proactive Physical Therapy offers Aquatic Therapy through our Rancho Bernardo, location. For driving instructions, see the maps below.
Aquatic therapy is a type of physical therapy that involves performing exercises in the water. Aquatic therapy is especially beneficial for people who have difficulty with weight-bearing activities due to arthritis, recent fracture, sprains, or weight issues.
Exercising in the water provides several benefits in comparison to exercise on land. First, the buoyancy of the water provides an unloading of the weight bearing joints of the spine, knees and hips. Water also provides assistance and resistance while exercising so that one can progress through various levels of activity while increasing strength. Initially, exercises can be performed in the direction of assistance. When strength progresses, the exercise can be modified to occur in a non resistant pattern, and finally against the resistance of the water, a unique feature that is difficult to achieve while exercising on land.
Pool Location at 4S Ranch/Rancho Bernardo
(We utilize the pool at the LA Fitness at 16913 Dove Canyon Rd.. Any appointments or need for aquatic therapy is handled by our Rancho Bernardo location just down the road! )
FAQ's
Common injuries that aquatic therapy can help with include, but are not limited to: Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, lower back pain, total knee replacement, total hip replacement, ankle replacement, achilles tendon repair, lumbar spine surgeries, thoracic spine surgeries, labral repairs in the hip, microfractures in the knee, gait deficits, generalized weakness, pre-surgical patients, and patients with weight-bearing restrictions.
- Aquatic therapy is so great for rehabilitation because being in waist level water alleviates 50% of body weight, and chest level alleviates 75% of body weight.
- Due to the decreased weight-bearing conditions of the aquatic environment, it allows patients to move with less restriction and less stress on their body. Because of this, a patient with severe Osteoarthritis who may not be able to walk the stairs in their home, they may be able to perform step-ups since their body weight decreases in the water, this allows for increased activation of the proper muscles needed to improve the step-up motion, which ultimately can help improve the patient’s ability to perform stair negotiation in the home.
- Also, as we mentioned, post- or pre-surgical patients that would otherwise be restricted in their ability to perform land-based therapy due to pain, are able to begin therapy sooner in the water. In doing this, water therapy helps increase the patient’s ability to start proper muscle recruitment and increase range of motion without increased pain.
- For patients with high pain levels, low tolerance or strict WB restrictions who would otherwise be restricted with land-based treatments can start with aquatic based therapies earlier in their recovery to prevent total deconditioning and help transition them to land-based treatment. A great segue into land-based therapies, for example, are back surgery patients who are restricted to wearing a Thoracic Lumbosacral Orthosis (TLSO) and limited in performance of land exercise.
Most therapy services are covered by insurance and we accept a wide array of insurance plans. Your out of pocket expense including deductibles and co-insurance/co-pays will vary depending on your current insurance plan. Our team can help determine these costs for you and answer any questions you have regarding your coverage.
