What Is Aquatic Therapy?
Aquatic therapy is physical therapy performed in a heated pool, using the unique properties of water — buoyancy, resistance, and hydrostatic pressure — to help patients exercise, build strength, and recover from injuries in a low-impact environment. At The Back Clinic, our on-site therapeutic pool is one of the tools we use to help patients heal when land-based exercise is too painful or difficult.
How Water Helps Healing
Buoyancy
Water supports your body weight, reducing stress on joints. When submerged to the waist, you bear only about 50% of your body weight. At chest level, it drops to around 25%. This means patients who can’t tolerate weight-bearing exercise on land can often move comfortably in the pool.
Resistance
Water provides natural resistance in every direction of movement. This allows you to strengthen muscles without the need for heavy weights or equipment, and the resistance increases naturally as you move faster — making it self-regulating and safe.
Warmth
Our therapeutic pool is heated to a comfortable temperature that helps relax muscles, increase circulation, and reduce pain. Many patients notice immediate relief the moment they step in.
Who Benefits Most?
Aquatic therapy can be helpful for a wide range of patients, but it’s especially valuable for:
- Post-surgical patients: Those recovering from joint replacements, spinal surgery, or other procedures who need to rebuild strength without stressing healing tissues
- Arthritis sufferers: The warmth and buoyancy of water allow movement with significantly less joint pain
- Chronic pain patients: People with fibromyalgia, chronic back pain, or other conditions that make land-based exercise difficult
- Older adults: Patients with balance concerns or age-related joint stiffness benefit from the supportive environment
- Athletes recovering from injury: The pool allows early return to movement and cardiovascular conditioning while protecting healing tissues
What a Session Looks Like
Every aquatic therapy session at The Back Clinic is one-on-one with your physical therapist. Your therapist is in or beside the pool, guiding you through exercises tailored to your condition and goals. Sessions typically last 30–45 minutes and may include walking, stretching, strengthening exercises, and balance training.
Aquatic therapy is often combined with land-based treatment as you progress. Your therapist will determine the right mix based on how you’re responding.
Is Aquatic Therapy Right for You?
Not every patient needs aquatic therapy, and not every condition responds best to it. Your therapist will evaluate whether the pool is the right environment for your treatment based on your specific diagnosis, limitations, and goals.
To find out if aquatic therapy could help you, call The Back Clinic at (302) 998-4477 or schedule your evaluation online.
