Aquatic Therapy at Mercy
Now Leonard comes to Mercy for the occasional dip in the pool.
Leonard was recently diagnosed with ankylosing spondylosis, or severe arthritis. His treatment options included invasive therapies, which he wanted to avoid. His diabetes medication precluded him from taking arthritis medicine. So he turned to physical therapy.
The first month and a half of physical therapy was tough for Leonard. “I could only walk on the treadmill for eight minutes,” he said. “I’d go to the store with my wife, and by the time I walked to the entrance I had to turn around and go back. My hips were killing me.”
That’s when Leonard started aquatic therapy at Mercy Health Center’s Outpatient Physical Therapy department. Aquatic therapy helps to reduce the stress on the weight-bearing joints of the body, which helps people like Leonard to increase their range of motion, strength, balance and endurance. It also helps to reduce pain and improve posture—and the 90-degree water temperature helps loosen stiff muscles and joints.
“A lot of times people are in the pool because they can’t tolerate land exercises. They are too painful. For them the pool is a stepping stone,” says Mercy physical therapist Alison Davis. “Then there are some people who will never be able to tolerate land-based exercise because of their arthritis. Then the goal is to get them into an independent pool program or class in the community.”
Aquatic therapy can be helpful for people of any age, from young people recovering from surgery to older people suffering from limited mobility.
After just four weeks of therapy Leonard noticed a vast improvement. He can now shop with his wife. He is continuing the aquatic therapy at his home in South Portland.
“When you get through you feel like a million bucks,” he said. “You feel like you can lick the world.”
