Last winter I was cooped up inside and depressed to no end. My doctor gave me a script for water therapy and found it to help a lot.
This summer I have been at neighborhood pool. It is heated and in the mornings no one is there. I joined the YMCA for winter. They have a water therapy class there M-F sponsored by the Arthritic Foundation. So I hope to go as much as possible. I am like the rest of my friends on here in pain 24/7 and many sleepless nights. I think the water therapy is the answer in combination with my Meds to get me into a place where I feel I can survive. No one realizes just how much pain each of us tolerate and deal with each day. Many of my friends say you don’t look sick and I just want to deck them.
So if any of you have not tried the water therapy route I highly suggest it. I found many of us since we are in so much pain just can not exercise, but it has given me hope along with the fact I have lost weight. So with less fat on me my body does feel a little better. I know getting up and out to the YMCA this winter with it being so dark and cold will be my biggest challenge.
Getting out and being w its others helps with the depression. The program goes year round and typically the YMCA says they get 25-35 seniors each day.
Hey Ron, come on back to exercise group and share your experience! I know others there (and me) would really appreciate it! So glad it’s working for you!
Starr
I have found the water therapy to help my Total body and flexibility. It’s a way to get out (with masks) and socialize with others who share body pain. We do tons of laughing and the hour flies by.
Agee 100% ! My first experience was an eye opener . When the weight of your body is relieved and you are buoyant the pain changes dramatically. I’m not obese but about 15 pounds heavier than healthy for my height. That said when the weight wasn’t on my hips and knees and lower back I had a better range of motion and that allowed me to stretch and endure exercise. Like anything new when you have fibro be careful not to over do it , when you go to exit the pool or hot tub your body weight makes the pain more pronounced . Hydrotherapy has been a huge benefit to my overall health , when the pandemic hit I could no longer go to the class ( fluid moves) for arthritis/ fibromyalgia patients and was fortunate enough to be able to purchase my own hot tub that I currently use 5 days a week for exercise and daily for relaxation/pain relief. I too recommend hydrotherapy to all my fibro friends if your doctor approves you for exercise.
Interesting that exercises in a warm pool are usually meant when you say water therapy or hydrotherapy. I think I did some of this in my rheum./fibro-clinic. We jumped & moved around pushing hands & legs against the water and used pool noodles. Is that what you do too?
Here they called it “aquajogging”, another term I know is “aquafit”. Maybe because we have a gigantic tradition with “Kneipp” water therapy, which however means putting limbs in mainly cold (or alternating) water, often outside, feels icy cold, and makes me personally often cramp up…
Aquajogging in the clinic put a lot of strain on me, so made me flare at first, for a few hours after, cos I was always trying to do too much, as the physiotherapist was recommending. If another treatment before had flared me up too, I had to be extremely careful and cheat a lot, just moved my hands & fingers . Just normal swimming afterwards put less strain on me than the aquajogging… The problem is probably that I usually have a lot of energy, despite Ache, exhaustion and sleep problems, and at that time still many pains.
I also had to be careful with my dry skin, could only stay in under 20 mins. It’s often difficult to find a cream that doesn’t make it worse just from stroking it in after the stress of the water. My form of water therapy is cold showering, or alternating - helps me get Ache, feverishness and night unrest down… And 30-60 seconds are enough and hack me (& others I know) out of it for a while.
. Just normal swimming afterwards put less strain on me than the aquajogging… The problem is probably that I usually have a lot of energy, despite Ache, exhaustion and sleep problems, and at that time still many pains.
And 30-60 seconds are enough and hack me (& others I know) out of it for a while.