Aquatic therapy, exercise in Gillette's only therapeutic pool

As the weather begins to turn from warm sunny days to cool and brisk fall days, it is likely that aches from arthritis might start to slow you down. Or, perhaps you are looking for a lower impact way of getting in some additional cardio.

Consider using Gillette’s only therapeutic swimming pool at Rehabilitation Services, located in Campbell County Health’s Stocktrail Building at 508 Stocktrail Avenue.

Aquatic therapy, or sometimes called pool therapy, is a beneficial form of therapy or exercise program that is done in a pool. It is useful for a variety of medical conditions and uses the physical properties of water to help in patient healing and exercise performance.

People who can swim and are unable to exercise comfortably on land are great candidates for aquatic exercise and physical therapy. Primary advantages of aquatic therapy and exercise is the reduced impact on joints and greater range in movement of joints. Additionally, the warm water helps with pain management and with some imagination feels like a tropical adventure. Learn more about the benefits of aquatic therapy from this VeryWell article.

Certified physical therapists or physical therapy assistants get in the pool with you and teach low impact exercises that includes cardio and resistance conditioning to help you:

• decrease pain
• increase flexibility and strength
• improve balance

Open pool session are 10 sessions for $50 and held Noon every Tuesday and Thursday. The parking is convenient, the locker room is calm and the water is warm!

Preparing for Pool Therapy

Check out these seven tips to help get you started with pool therapy:

1. Never push your body through pain during any exercise.
2. Use water shoes, which will provide traction on the pool floor.
3. Know that the water level in the pool can be waist or chest high.
4. Slow movements in the water will provide less resistance than fast movements.
5. Although you will not notice that you sweat with pool exercises, it is very important to drink plenty of water before and after therapy.
6. Staff may offer you the use of a Styrofoam noodle or weights, or kickboards for increased resistance.
7. Always feel that you can request (or bring) a floatation belt/vest to help you stay afloat in deeper water.

Check out these 10 exercises for the pool, put together by the American Physical Therapy Association.

Did you know that physical therapists and physical therapist assistants help you maximize your movement, manage pain, avoid surgery and prescription drugs, manage chronic (long-term) conditions, and recover from and prevent injury. Our compassionate and experienced staff at Rehabilitation Services strives to help you reach your rehabilitation goals and function at your optimal level, whether you are at home or at work. Learn more at www.cchwyo.org/rehab.