Guest Post: Water Can Save your Knees!

The most devastating setback of any athlete or active person is definitely sustaining an injury. Almost always unexpected and often debilitating, an injury, particularly a serious one, can sideline you from your sport or hobby for a frustrating amount of time.

One of the most common injuries for a good number of athletes and sports enthusiasts is tearing, straining, bruising or otherwise damaging the muscles, ligaments or the joint in the knee. Your knees take a great beating during most activities and as a support for the rest of your body, without them you’re on the bench until fully healed. Without proper physical therapy your downtime can stretch on endlessly.

During the healing stage of an injury to a major joint like the knee, specially designed therapies in a physical therapy pool can be utilized with astonishing results. The water will act as a cushion for your injury, yet still allow you to stretch and work the area to regain lost strength and stability. Water buoyancy also seems to magically make about 90% of your body weight disappear which completely eliminates further or future injuries as a result of high impact while healing. Water allows us to do a great deal more with ease than we ever could on land, and yet the natural resistance ensures an exceptional workout every time.

Despite what you might think upon first impression, a physical therapy pool or a water treadmill are not just to aide in the healing process. They are also an excellent option for those with compromised or fragile joints or those with limited mobility for reasons other than injury. These are just a few of the reasons that people from all walks of life- from the professional athlete to the weekend jogger down the street- are utilizing the water treadmill in both commercial and residential applications.

It also means an end to running in nasty weather and I don’t think anyone could complain about that.