Efficacy of Aquatic Exercises for Patients with Low-back Pain.

Abstract

Summary: We have studied 35 patients (25 female and 10 male) with low-back pain who were managed with aquatic exercises after an appropriate period of treatment for their condition in the medical institution. The exercises, employed consisted of strengthening exercises for the abdominal, gluteal, and leg muscles, stretching of the back, hip, hamstrings, and calf muscles, walking in water, and swimming. All the patients had been participating in the exercise program for more than 6 months. The frequency of performing exercises was once a week for 7 patients, twice a week for 19, and 3 or more times a week for the remaining patients. The method used in this study was a survey questionnaire which was composed of questions about the patient' s physical and psychological condition. Those patients who had performed exercises twice or more in a week showed a more significant improvement in the physical score than those who performed exercises only once a week. More than 90% of the patients felt they had improved after 6 months of participation in the program. The improvement in physical score was independent of the initial ability in swimming. The results obtained suggested that exercises in water may be one of the most useful modes of exercise for a patient with low-back pain.

The myth of core stability

“…Both exercise approaches are demonstrated to be equally effective (Ariyoshi et al, 1999;van der Velde and Mierau, 2000;Franke et al, 2000;Nilsson-Wikmar et al, 2005;Koumantakis et al, 2005;Cairns et al, 2006). Systematic reviews repeat this message (van Tulder et al, 2000;Abenhaim et al, 2000;Hurwitz et al, 2005).…”

“…These studies strongly suggest that improvements are due to the positive effects that physical exercise may have on the patient rather than on improvements in spinal stability (it is known that general exercise can also improve CLBP) (Ariyoshi et al, 1999;van der Velde and Mierau, 2000).…”

The movement of the trunk and breast during front crawl and breaststroke swimming

“…People who experience pain when exercising on land are often advised to swim or exercise in water (Ariyoshi et al, 1999;Westby, 2001). Therefore, swimming represents a suitable form of exercise for larger-breasted women who experience breast pain when exercising on land, but without appropriate breast support these women may experience pain due to the movement of the breasts that may be influenced by trunk motion or vice versa.…”

Is Aquatic Physical Therapy a Feasible Treatment for Musculoskeletal Dysfunction of Sickle Cell Disease Patients?

“…Amongst the existing physical therapy recourses, aquatic and land physical therapy can be considered to be a growing resource with several benefits and tailored to the daily life of each patient. The aquatic technique uses warmed pools for therapeutic ends and is a widely used as a resource for the rehabilitation of several pathologies [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. The benefits provided by the aquatic environment have mostly to do with the physical properties of the water, such as buoyant forces, hydrostatic pressure and viscosity, which exert therapeutic and physiological properties upon the immersed body [8,9].…”