| Many people can't swim, are uncomfortable around | | | | water. It is possible to do a complete knee workout |
| water, or have an outright fear of water. Does this | | | | in 4 feet of water. To get the full weight supporting |
| mean that they cannot benefit from hydrotherapy? | | | | effect of water you need to submerge up to the |
| Firstly let's consider why hydrotherapy is good for | | | | neck, but this can be done gradually and in shallow |
| arthritic knees. The two main reasons are the | | | | water - swimming is not required. |
| effects of heat and the support of body weight. | | | | If you are nervous around water, please don't |
| Stiffness is aggravated by cold and eased by heat. | | | | automatically discount hydrotherapy as you may be |
| This is why winter can be a miserable time for | | | | missing out on a valuable tool in the fight against |
| arthritis sufferers. Osteoarthritis is also mainly a | | | | osteoarthritis. Group exercise can even be a lot of |
| disease of the weight-bearing joints. Just as increased | | | | fun. |
| load tends to aggravate pain (through being | | | | Speak to your physical therapist and be honest about |
| overweight for example), a decreased load can lead | | | | your concerns. They are used to helping people |
| to less pain. | | | | overcome their fears around water and most |
| Waist deep water is usually enough to exercise in. | | | | purpose build hydrotherapy pools are no more than |
| Most people can build water confidence by continually | | | | chest deep. |
| holding onto the edge and by beginning in shallow | | | | Give it a try. |