Get Wet (Part 2)
The pool is the greatest rehabilitation tool ever invented. Pools are where the action is—especially for top-level athletes who want to accelerate their healing from injuries. Pools are where elderly people with arthritis go to loosen their joints. Pools are where it’s at for weightlifting without injury, stretching without getting on the floor, cardio training without equipment, and running without impact.
Most people don’t swim well enough to get a real workout in a pool or simply don’t like swimming enough to go every day. Here at our Clinic, though, we look at pools differently. If you can get access, there are novel ways to use a pool—even if you don’t swim. Here is what we see:
The side-to-side width of most pools measures five to ten strides for many people, and the water is usually accessed waist- or chest-deep. The first thing we tell our patients is to get in the pool and run (or walk) 20 laps, side-to-side.
Time yourself. Each day goes a little faster. The walk/run form is similar to that of a sprinter, with high knees and cupped hands (if you can). The flotation of the water permits you to push off the bottom and land each step with little impact. The resistance of the water causes your heart rate to increase and forces you to use the muscles of your lower extremities and your upper body muscles as your cupped hands pull down into the water.
Next, introduce the weights that you would normally use in the gym. Place the weights on the edge of the pool. Lunges and squats with a weight in each hand, in waist-deep water, serve as a balance exercise, a weight workout, and—as you increase your reps and your speed—a cardiovascular challenge. Kettlebells in the shallow end are far more fun than in the gym. Watch out for your toes.
Take a stretch cord and wrap it around the pool ladder’s handrails. Do your rotational stretches, back stretches, and squats against the cord’s resistance.
When you feel confident, move to the deep end and pool run without touching the bottom for as long as you can. Grab a hand weight and push off the pool bottom, rising repeatedly to the top.
There are thousands of variations of all of these exercises, and highly competent pool exercise instructors are available in many communities. Hire one of them to improve your form and introduce novel exercises you may never otherwise think of.
Almost all of the injuries that I treat and surgeries that I perform can be made better by pool workouts. Post-surgery—as soon as the incisions are dry—the pool becomes the physical therapist and surgeon’s best friend. And there is no reason to wait until you are injured. Get wet before you dry out.
