‘If you would seek health, look first to the spine’ Socrates

The quote above emphasizes the intriguing connection of spine wellbeing with overall health in general. Low back pain remains one of the most commonly battled-with musculoskeletal conditions around the globe. It interferes with day-to-day functioning, restricts mobility and movement, which left untreated may develop into chronic pain and disability affecting quality of life and health.

Some of the most common non-pathological causes of developing low back pain are long hours of sitting, lack of physical activity, lifting weights in a poor posture, gym injuries, sudden awkward movements, awkward sleeping posture etc

Fortunately, if managed on time and treated early, most of the low back pain cases resolve with conservative therapy consisting of lifestyle modifications and Physiotherapy.

Recent medical researchers have explored the benefits of performing Aquatic Exercises for low back pain and have found them to have a significant role in improving mobility, reducing pain and enhancing the overall quality of life in patients with low back pain.

What is Aqua Therapy

Aquatic Therapy or Aqua Therapy is a therapeutic technique where exercises are performed in a therapy pool wherein properties of water are used for therapeutic purposes under the supervision of a physiotherapist

What are the Benefits of Aqua Therapy in Patients with Low Back Pain.

Reduced Pain– The warmth of the water increases the blood supply to the sore muscles and helps in reducing the pain and muscle spasm.

Reduced load on the spine- The buoyancy of water offsets the effects of gravity acting on the joints, thereby reducing the overall stresses and load on the spine and spine structures. This also helps in reducing the pain from the overall load on the spine.

Muscle Strengthening- The viscosity of water provides a continuous resistance to the moving muscles, for example, performing a simple standing spine rotation on land offers no resistance, while the same when performed in water provides far greater resistance. This allows re-strengthening of the spine muscles in a pain free and an off-loaded environment.

Enhanced core stability- Water flow creates a natural turbulence within the pool environment. This creates a state of unsteadiness which in turn challenges the core muscles to stabilize the body segments in the water.

Low-Impact Endurance Training- Aerobic exercise helps by directing blood flow to the exercising back muscles, which can help the muscles recover from soreness, injury and help with building up muscular and cardiovascular endurance.

Increased Mobility- Stiffness in the spine is one of the commonest symptoms after pain in chronic low back conditions. The fluidity, warmth and pain-free environment of the water, enable the spine and hip joint to move through a far better range of motion in water compared to land.