Aquatic Physical Therapy provides an optimal setting for treating various diagnoses, including musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiovascular/pulmonary, and post-surgical rehabilitation. Aquatic therapy is an excellent choice for initiating the rehabilitation process more quickly following surgery or an injury. Early intervention can result in more rapid recovery.
Aquatic Therapy enables us to provide Physical Therapy that could not be provided in a typical clinic. The water medium allows for decreased weight bearing on joints and decreased swelling (edema). This form of therapy is an excellent tool for strengthening the respiratory muscles and for improving motion, flexibility, and strength of the treated areas. In addition, the resistance allows for muscle strengthening without the need of weights.
Water turbulence can also be used as a method of increasing resistance and the percentages of body weight one bears across the lower limbs can be decreased or progressed in proportion to the depth of immersion. The reduction in gravitational pull on all joints including the spine, promotes improved posture and spinal extension. While moving in the water, there is a promotion of joint lubrication which decreases joint stiffness and pain. We refer our patients to Essex Aquatic & Rehab Center for these types of aquatic services.
Essex Physical Therapy is a Postural Restoration (PRI) certified clinic dedicated to maximizing assessment and treatment skills in the integration and use of respiration, myokinematics and neuromuscular PRI techniques to reduce characteristic positions of postural imbalance and their compensatory patterns.
PRI concepts have expanded to aquatic design! This innovative pool features multiple PRI patented treatment stations that are used in the rehabilitation of structural joint dysfunction and related postural issues. The pool enables the therapist to integrate PRI techniques to reduce characteristic positions of postural imbalance and their compensatory patterns. The pool stations will help to restore functions including thoracic rotation, hip mobility/ROM, reciprocal movement of both the upper and lower extremities, frontal plane motion, trunk flexion and abdominal stabilization, as well as reduce sacroiliac and low back torsion and compression, hip and shoulder impingement, scapular and cervical dysfunction and knee/ankle instability to name a few. These patented workstations and concepts developed in association with PRI, will bring aquatic therapy to a new level of sophistication. PRI pool coming to Essex Physical Therapy in 2011!