“It really helps with their balance rehabilitation,” Pam says. “We have them walk the length of the pool, and we work on their gait pattern. Then we use the current to challenge them a bit. Being in the water helps them get over their fear of falling.”

Watch Pam demonstrate some techniques and exercises.

SwimEx. Go with the Flow.

Case in point: Top-ranked high school volleyball player Kristi Rhead, who broke her ankle while surfing this summer.

“Kristi suffered a severe break which required open reduction internal fixation, which means they had to surgically fixate the break with hardware,” explains MountainTop owner Preston Hall, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS. “She was non-weight bearing for six weeks.”

So Preston set up a rehabilitation regimen for Kristi using the center’s SwimEx 600T. Initially, he had Kristi work on strength and range of motion exercises in a non-weight-bearing fashion utilizing the SwimEx’s powerful paddlewheel current and the deep well. Then, as Kristi’s ability to bear weight improved, Preston moved her onto the treadmill and onto the pool’s work stations for exercises focusing on weight bearing, dynamic movement and explosiveness.

“The SwimEx allowed us to be a lot more progressive in Kristi’s treatment, which meant she could return to the team in time for volleyball season,” Preston says.

The SwimEx at MountainTop is the first 600T model fitted with an integrated treadmill to be sold in the United States. The pool offers trainers a wide assortment of treatment options, with its front-to-back work stations providing water depths of 48 to 60 inches. Preston has used the pool to treat a wide variety of physical conditions, such as pelvic fractures, tibia or fibular fractures, hip and knee replacements, degenerative spine issues and post-op spine issues, ACLs, and rotator-cuff recoveries.

“We’ve had a lot of patients in there in the first few months,” Preston says. “The pool allows the patients to make great progress.”

Kristi found time between school, homework, rehab and volleyball games to send a grateful message regarding her treatment by Preston and the SwimEx 600T.

“SwimEx has played an extremely important role in my early recovery from a broken ankle! Before I could bear weight, I was able to build my muscles and stay in shape through the resistance from the underwater current…with the help of SwimEx and my wonderful physical therapist Preston Hall, I will be back playing volleyball more quickly than I thought to be possible!”

SwimEx. Go with the Flow.

• The aquatic pool is handicap accessible with the use of our lift system. An easy enter/exit system makes for a comfortable transition into and out of the pool.
• The Hamilton office boasts a SwimEx 1000 T pool with current generating capabilities (.1 to 10 mph of current) to make rehabilitation more complete.
• Depths are 4-6 feet with stairs or lift entry/exit into and out of the pool.

To learn more about the SwimEx 1000T, click here.

Check out some of these great pictures of patients in action:

The Salt Lake Community College Physical Therapist Assistant program utilizes the pool in the following ways:

• Student instruction for both physical therapist assistant and occupational therapy assistant students
• Aquatic therapy interventions for the pro bono on-site clinic physical therapy patients.

Program Director Diana Ploeger says the SwimEx pool is a great teaching resource and enables uninsured patients to receive high-tech care, “students appreciate the opportunity to implement what they have learned in class through individual practice and providing aquatic therapy interventions under the direct supervision of a physical therapist. Physical therapy clinic patients are pleased with the opportunity to receive treatments utilizing aquatic therapy as well as land-based techniques.”
“The pool is used in a variety of ways to meet the individual needs of patients who are served by the pro bono clinic. For a back patient, the deep end is utilized with some ankle weights and swim noodle in order to provide gentle spinal distraction. For bariatric clients, the pool is utilized for aerobic exercise with less weight bearing on lower extremity joints. For a patient with balance issues, the water and some resistance provides challenges not possible during land-based therapy.”

About Swim Ex:

SwimEx specializes in the design and manufacturing of superior fiberglass rehab and exercise swim spa pools for home and professional use. Our focus is centered upon controlling the therapeutic properties of water used for aquatic therapy to provide a nearly stress-free environment for rehabilitation. SwimEx is dedicated to building the finest swim spa swimming pools and rehabilitation equipment for home, sports, therapy and healthcare.

For more information on SwimEx, visit www.swimex.com

Media Contact: Julie Ruditzky, Julie@publicitycrew.com, 860-334-4774

Renee Mills, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner Director of Rehabilitation Services at VCA/Veterinary Referral Associates Gaithersburg, MD

Authors: Kasee Hildenbrand, Sara Nordio, Timothy S. Freson, Bruce E. Becker

The purpose of this article is to propose creation of a consistent, measureable 12-week aquatic exercise progression for individuals diagnosed with asthma. An aquatic exercise option not requiring swim skills may offer real value, but no previous literature explicitly describes a standardized nonswimming aquatic exercise progression. Participants were diagnosed: medically managed asthmatics in a rural community. Guidelines set forth by AEA and ACSM were used in the development of the exercise program and progression. By the end of the 12 weeks, instructors were challenging participants with multilevel travel sets and complex timed sequences, meeting programmatic goals for exercise intensity progression. In conclusion, this 12-week aquatic exercise protocol could effectively be prescribed by aquatic exercise specialists to increase physical activity in an asthmatic population. The design may be used in research studies as a consistent and measurable treatment protocol.

http://journals.humankinetics.com/ijare-back-issues/ijare-volume-4-issue-3-august-2010/development-of-an-aquatic-exercise-training-protocol-for-the-asthmatic-population

The purpose of this retrospective pilot study was to determine if aquatic therapy (AT) intervention concurrent with occupational therapy (OT) yielded greater functional gains in stroke patients than OT treatment alone. A retrospective chart review was conducted evaluating subjective data from an inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Morgantown, WV. Thirty-nine stroke survivor charts were examined. Patients who received OT with or without concurrent aquatic therapy were included.

Differences were examined in the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores in patients who received (a) AT plus conventional OT or (b) con­ventional OT alone. Discharge bed/chair transfer (p = 0.009) and locomotion (p = 0.01) scores were higher for people who received OT and AT versus patients only receiving OT. Linear regression indicated AT treatment predicted discharge bed/chair transfer FIM score (p = 0.02), discharge locomotion (walking) FIM score (p = 0.002), discharge stairs FIM score (p = 0.04), and change in bed/chair transfer FIM score (p = 0.02). These findings indicate that AT, combined with OT, may predict success on specific FIM outcomes (e.g., bed/chair transfer FIM score, locomotion [walking] FIM score) in stroke patients.

http://journals.humankinetics.com/ijare-current-issue/ijare-volume-4-issue-4-november/the-effects-of-combined-aquatic-and-occupational-therapy-in-stroke-patients-a-retrospective-study

• Orthopaedic Injuries
• Spinal Conditions
• Neuromuscular
• Cardiopulmonary Disorders
• Total Joint Replacement
• Chronic Pain
• Athletic and Sports Injuries
• Weight Loss
• Musculoskeletal Disorders
• Multi-Trauma
• Balance Disorders
• Arthritis and Fibromyalgia
• Paediatric
• Immunological Disorders