Why exercising in a pool is a great alternative for those suffering from back pain

Physical activity is one of the many ways to alleviate chronic back pain. However, if you frequently suffer from an aching back, it can sometimes make one reluctant to exercise in the first place. Fortunately, aquatic therapy can provide an easy solution to help relieve back pain and strengthen your spine.

Aquatic therapy, also known as water therapy, can do wonders for your chronic back pain and stiff joints. The water provides a gentle resistance that requires more effort to move, while also giving you a greater range of movement. Swimming is also an excellent form of relaxation. Because swimming doesn’t require intense physical exertion, it is an ideal physical activity for people of all ages. Aquatic therapy is just one of the many ways that can help relieve chronic back pain. (Related: Natural ways to relieve back pain.)

Why water therapy is excellent for relieving chronic back pain

Water therapy can provide a number of health benefits, especially for your spine. Here are some of the ways exercising in a pool can benefit your aching back:

1. Reduced load bearing. Your buoyancy in the water cancels out the pull of gravity and reduces the stress on your joints and spine. If you are suffering from a compressed spine, disc, or sciatic nerve, the water can help to decompress it. Compared to many other forms of exercise, water therapy is a lot easier on the joints. You experience less physical impact. The water allows you to feel almost weightless.
2. Reduced pain. If your reason for hesitating to exercise is due to any type of body pain, then swimming is the perfect solution for you. Simply put, it is much less painful and more comfortable to exercise underwater than on land. The water also helps to enhance blood circulation to sore muscles and joints.
3. No risk of falling. In other forms of exercise and strenuous activity, you can fall down and injure yourself. A bad fall can also aggravate existing injuries or other causes of chronic back pain. With water therapy, there is almost no risk of falling involved. You just have to be careful when you’re out of the water. By exercising in a swimming pool, you can help strengthen your feet muscles and improve your sense of balance and coordination.
4. Supports the use of more muscles. If you don’t exert specific muscles, it can lead to atrophy and loss of muscle mass. Certain exercise regimens on land only focus on a select group of muscles, while neglecting others. Swimming allows you to work out more of the muscles you don’t normally use. The simple breaststroke utilizes a wide range of muscles to move your arms out and pull them back to the side. Your shoulder muscles can benefit more from water therapy than they would from regular cardiovascular exercises.
5. Increased mobility. You can move much more freely in the water than in thin air. Due to the buoyancy of the water, you can have a wider range of motion when exercising in a swimming pool. You can also move in ways that would otherwise be impossible on land.
6. Natural resistance. The resistance of the water makes it so that you exert more effort to move. Water has around 600 times as much resistance as thin air, making your workout a lot more effective under water.

If you want to learn more about chronic back pain and other forms of therapy that can help relieve it, you can read more articles by going to BackPain.news.

Sources include:

SpineHealth.com

BalancedBack.com