Rehabilitation After Stroke: Aquatic Therapy Improves Pain, Mobility, and Balance
Rehabilitation After Stroke: Aquatic Therapy Improves Pain, Mobility, and Balance
Joe received aquatic therapy while an inpatient at Helen Hayes Hospital. He suffered a stroke that left the right side of his body weak, uncoordinated, and in pain. The buoyancy and warm water (92 degrees) allowed him to relax tense muscles and move safer and easier than he could on land. He received hands on techniques to release tight muscles, and he participated in Water Tai chi (known as Ai Chi) to improve balance, joint range of motion, and relaxation.
Content
25.34 -> Therapist: Take a moment to get your feet on the ground. You will do better once you get into the water and then we can take this away.
32.36 -> Let me just see you do some walking.
36.26 -> Joe: I can sequence my arms.
38.4 -> Therapist: Yes, good, put that all into play.
41.1 -> Joe: One arm anyway.
46.28 -> Therapist: Don't get too close to the steps.
49.7 -> This is good for balance.
52.14 -> Therapist: Yeah, isn't that nice. Joe: Oh yeah.
55.44 -> Therapist: Let me see you try to extend that right arm out.
61.96 -> Good really open the chest and extend the elbow.
75 -> And let me see you extend the wrist back.
80.72 -> Good, let me give you a little stretch. Warm up that joint.
86.1 -> I am just going to warm some things up here.
89.94 -> So the nice thing about the pool, the pool is 92 degrees, so it helps to really loosen things up.
101.1 -> And I'm going to find some of the tight muscles in your shoulder blade,
105.34 -> and I like how relaxed you are right now, good.
108.62 -> There should be no pain, no discomfort, if anything you might feel me getting in some tight spots,
116.76 -> but what you are going to feel is, its almost like a good pain
119.14 -> and its going to lessen, so if there is any bad pain, tell me to stop, ok.
125.58 -> And I want you to roll or move your head, exactly, lets loosen up all these neck muscles.
133.38 -> That one right there. Joe: I can breath it out almost. Therapist: Exactly
138.22 -> Thats what you are doing, its almost like you are bringing your breath right to that tight spot and the exhale that helps relax it. Decrease that neural tone.
148.98 -> You don't mind if I do this.
151.88 -> Just to give you a good stretch
168.18 -> So your knees and toes are in alignment,
171.3 -> Hips are pointing forward and then inhale right arm opens out to the side.
179.12 -> Good, exhale, hands come back, good, inhale through the nose, palms turn up
185.46 -> so we're keeping with the right arm, good and exhale.
195.54 -> So really slowly, we are just going to do that again, opening that right arm.
203.02 -> And then coming back, now we are pivoting back center.
210.14 -> Stay center for me, we're going to shift, and side weight shift to the left as the right arm comes across your chest.
218.56 -> Now stand on that left leg you are going to inhale, open the arms, and then on the exhale
229.22 -> we side weight shift as the left arm crosses in front, good, and then inhale good.
239.54 -> And then its on the exhale.
242.46 -> Don't let the knees pass the toes, so you are really trying to keep them in line. Exactly.
249.02 -> Inhaling and lifting that chest dropping the shoulders
260.2 -> We are opening, then its exhale cross the arms.
265.8 -> Good, inhale as the palms turn up, elbows remain at the side
270.06 -> Exhale and release.
278.9 -> Left leg over right
280.9 -> Step right leg out, squat
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEG5_3VWFOU