Physical therapy and exercise regimens, such as hydrotherapy, are increasingly becoming common therapies for the treatment of several diseases, including neuro degenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s.
For certain Parkinson’s patients, hydrotherapy offers particular benefits.
You should add aquatics to your current Parkinson’s patients as someone who owns or runs a physical therapy facility. It could also help you draw
new patients with Parkinson’s to your clinic.
Parkinson’s disease, after Alzheimer’s disease, is the second most common neurological condition American adults face. Physicians often use heavy medication to treat the disorder, which may produce unexpected or unwanted side effects.
You might be wondering,
“Is Parkinson’s Aquatic Therapy effective?” Hydrotherapy in Singapore provides an alternative method of treatment that can be used to achieve better outcomes in combination with drug therapies.
Aquatic therapy was used to support people who suffered from Parkinson’s disease as well as multiple sclerosis, such as Virginia Bishop. To boost her activity levels, strengthen core strength and develop endurance, she used aquatic sessions. Her findings included the recovery of the ability to tend to everyday activities and to play the piano.
How Aquatic Therapy Helps Relieve the Symptoms of Parkinson’s
A large variety of diseases and orthopaedic or chronic conditions are treated by hydrotherapy. Many disorders linked to strength and balance are amongst them. Although aquatic exercise does not minimize all the risks of falls for Parkinson’s disease, which is a primary concern for many Parkinson’s patients, it can be helpful by strengthening the heart and improving muscle memory.
Parkinson Disease Treatment Using Aquatic Therapy
Independence, particularly as the disease progresses, is a constant concern among Parkinson’s patients and their family members. To preserve their freedom for longer, aquatic therapy directly helps patients:
- Maintaining or regaining strength
- Balance building
- Boosting posture
- Flexibility enhancement
- Growing control of the body
- Reducing rigidity
- Increasing physical activity acceptance
Aquatic therapy will alleviate the above primary issues for Parkinson’s patients so that patients can retain or recover their independence.
For Parkinson’s, is aquatic therapy safe? With temperatures between 90 and 92 degrees Fahrenheit, warm-water therapies offer patients the chance to function in a safe environment, giving them reduced rigidity and increased control of the body.
For Parkinson’s patients, the other advantage of hot-water therapy is a reduction in shivering compared to cold water treatments, along with a decrease in discomfort, which makes exercise more pleasurable.
As a result of aquatic therapy, one study discovered that Parkinson’s patients reported substantial changes in postural stability.
A separate research published in 2012, found that aquatic patients experienced changes in:
- The Gait
- Angles of the hip
- Length of Stride
- Speed
The use of aquatic underwater treadmill exercise as part of her recovery was immensely effective in the case of Parkinson’s sufferer Lila D. Lecy, helping her to stay independent as long as possible. She thinks it was the combination of aquatics to help her develop the strength and posture to walk on dry land, wearing heels, no less, along with a professional physical therapist.
Because aquatic therapy is exercise, it may help reduce the development of certain Parkinson’s disease symptoms and can play a role in minimizing the severity of symptoms currently experienced by patients. Aquatic therapy, when dealing with Parkinson’s, helps patients achieve a better quality of life and longer health.