ABSTRACT
Water is an excellent medium for achieving maximal exercise levels in those with or without disabilities. As previously mentioned, water has several unique qualities, such as buoyancy, hydrostatic pressure, thermodynamics, and specific gravity, that make aquatic therapy an ideal choice for individuals with musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, or neurological impairments as well as individuals with general deconditioning and debility. Aquatic therapy can be used for both acute and chronic conditions. 1 Aquatic therapy provides a useful and safe environment for initiating an exercise therapy program and can complement all phases of the rehabilitation process while providing a margin of therapeutic safety that is wider than almost any other type of treatment environment. 1 The physical properties of water provide certain benefits to patients that land-based programs do not offer, making aquatic therapy the ideal rehabilitation environment for many individuals and conditions.
