2. WHAT IS AQUATIC THERAPY FOR
CHILDREN?
Pediatric aquatic therapy is a great
alternative to land therapy to help children
meet strength, range of motion/flexibility,
balance, coordination, endurance, and
walking goals. The buoyancy of the water
helpsreducehumanbodyweightandallows
children to move in ways they simply can’t
onland.
3. WHAT IS AQUATIC THERAPY
USEDFOR?
It’s been proven that walking in water provides more than
10 times the resistance of walking on land. Therefore, a
child walking in the pool receives the benefit of both the
support and resistance of the water. Aquatic therapy also
helpsrelaxmusclesaspoolwaterismaintainedatawarm
temperaturearound88-90degrees.Movementwithinand
against warm water has a massaging effect on muscles,
joints, and ligaments improving circulation and reducing
inflammation pain. As you can see, aquatic therapy has a
lot of health benefits and is a great environment for
therapysessions.
5. Forchildrenwhohavesufferedaninjurysuchasabrokenleg,theirabilitytomovejoints
freely is highly limited due to swelling and lack of strength in their muscles. Therapy
poolsareagreatenvironmenttohelpwithrecoveryduetothewarmwaterthathelps
strengthenthejoints.Plus,theresistanceofthewatermakesiteasiertoliftthelegup
and down and strengthen muscles. Performing exercises in the water also helps
improvebalanceandcoordinationneededaftersufferinganinjury.
1. INCREASED STRENGTH AND RANGE OF MOTION
Ifachildsuffersfromspeechissues,aquatictherapycanbeverybeneficial.Performingsimple
exercisessuchasholdingtheirbreathunderwaterwhileraisingtheirarmsupanddowncanhelp.
Theresistanceofthewaterwillhelpimproveproperbreathingcontrolforspeaking.
2.IMPROVES BREATH CONTROL AND RESPIRATION
6. There are multiple scenarios where children need physical therapy to help achieve
developmental milestones such as walking, crawling, rolling, and jumping. For example,
studies have shown that aquatic therapy has helped children with cerebral palsy or
diagnosedwithautisminimprovingmobilityandbalance.Theycanbenefitlearninghow
torollorwalkinthewateraloteasiercomparedtoonland,andoverall,watercanhelp
increasefunctionalabilitiesandacquisitionofdevelopmentalmilestones.
3. REACH DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES
When children can improve their motor skills, it helps decrease social anxiety and increase
confidence. Performing exercises and games in the pool can improve competitive play,
encourage speaking in children who have anxiety, and learn how to share toys. All these
exercisescanresultinbettersocialinteractionandmoreconfidence.
4. IMPROVED SOCIAL SKILLS AND SELF-CONFIDENCE