Ever since I began my mentorship at GA PT, I have been fascinated by the pool that patients use for aquatic therapy. Patients who experience all types of injuries utilize the hose, jets, and treadmill in the pool, for physical improvement and recovery. As I spent time observing and speaking with patients at the pool, my curiosity about aquatic therapy grew. This curiosity is what led me to formulate my essential question: “How does aquatic therapy accelerate physical rehabilitation and in which body system does it have the most beneficial impact?". By finding out the benefits of aquatic therapy, I can have a deeper understanding of why so many patients at GA PT utilize this form of physical therapy.
WHAT I KNOW
I was first introduced to aquatic physical therapy when I saw the pool at Georgia Physical Therapy. I have observed that the majority of the patients use the pool along with its underwater treadmill and hose when first visiting GA PT. Because of the increased use of the pool, I have come to the conclusion that aquatic therapy is indeed very effective in physical rehabilitation. Additionally, I have observed that the majority of the patients that use the pool, have injuries or pain in parts of their legs, which I found very interesting, as it may relate to what I discover in my research.
THE SEARCH
I began my search for information regarding my topic, on the internet. I found several articles and controlled studies that focus on the benefits of aquatic therapy. Additionally, I looked into the company, Hydroworx, that installed the pool at GA PT, and found a multitude of research, customer profiles, and past studies on aquatic therapy pools used around the US. I also decided to interview my mentor, Ms. Hughes, about the benefits of aquatic therapy, in order to also understand from the perspective of a practicing physical therapist.
WHAT I DISCOVERED
After conducting a significant amount of research, I have discovered that there have been several studies discussing the outcomes of land therapy compared to aquatic therapy in the treatment of various diseases and injuries. I have also found that the main benefit of aquatic therapy is a result of the inherent properties of water. Although I was not able to find a comprehensive review of the overall benefit of aquatic therapy, in comparison to land therapy, for all phsycial injuries, I did learn extensively about how aqautic therapy works in accelerating physical recovery time.