Centers of Excellence Physician Services Support Services

Aquatic Therapy

To make a referral, call 706-823-8504.

Walton’s aquatic therapy program can help relieve pain through certain exercises and techniques that people do in the water. Because water makes you more buoyant, movements are easier, but you also have constant resistance. This helps you build strength, improve posture, increase blood flow—and relieve pain. As an added plus, Walton’s outpatient therapy pool is the only one in the CSRA that is heated to a comforting 97 degrees Fahrenheit.

During aquatic therapy (which patients can receive with a doctor’s referral), patients typically have 45 minutes of therapy two to three times per week, with the length of the rehab depending upon the patient’s progress and diagnosis. A physical therapist or PTA works with each patient to develop a customized exercise plan, including pain-relieving techniques, that patients complete during each session and can continue on their own after leaving the program. Therapists teach patients to listen to their body and determine what poses or positions might be exacerbating their pain, and to avoid them. In addition, pain can often be relieved by certain exercises or positions. Each movement has a specific purpose to help build strength and relieve pain.

Aquatic therapy is appropriate for patients with all kinds of issues, including:

  • Back pain
  • Neck pain
  • Leg pain
  • Shoulder pain
  • Fractures
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Arthritis

Specific benefits of the aquatic therapy program include increased range of motion, greater joint flexibility, increased strength, improved balance and coordination, and better posture—all of which contribute to helping decrease pain levels. Patient also benefit from increased confidence as well as the social atmosphere of the sessions.

Aquatic therapy is not for all patients—for example, patients with high blood pressure, fevers, infections or incontinence, or diabetics with a blood glucose level higher than 300, should not participate in aquatic therapy. Patients should talk with their physicians if they are interested in aquatic therapy.