Rehabilitation of Athletic Injuries

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Rehabilitation of Athletic Injuries

• Aquatic Therapy

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Benefits of Aquatic Therapy

• Buoyancy
• Depth
• Hydrostatic Pressure
• Viscosity
• Temperature

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Buoyancy

• Buoyancy assists, supports, OR resists extremity
  movement.
• Archimedes Principle any object submerged or
  floating in water is buoyed upward by a
  counterforce that helps support the submerged or
  partially submerged object against the downward
  pull of gravity.

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Buoyancy

• In other words
• Buoyant force assists motion toward the waters
  surface and resists motion away from the surface.
  This allows
• An athlete weighting 200 lbs. when submerged
  displaces nearly 95 of their body weight.

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Water Depth

• Depending on the depth of the water
• Deeper water decreases the bodys weight on/to
  an extremity.
• Less water increases the bodys weight on/to
  an extremity.

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Water Depth

• An athlete standing in chest-deep water will only
  weight 30 to 40 of their body weight.
• Majority of males body weight is in the upper
  trunk and upper extremities.
• Majority of female body weight is in the lower
  abdomen and lower extremities.

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Hydrostatic Pressure

• Assists in controlling edema in the extremities.

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Viscosity

• Make-up of the water and the forces that provide
  resistance

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Viscosity

• Factors that provide resistance to movement
• Make-up of the water molecules
• Type of water
• Salt/Fresh

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Temperature

• Water that is at or below body temperature
  acts as a means of preventing heat illness.

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Forces that Provide Resistance

• Cohesive Force
• Bow Force
• Drag Force

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Cohesive Force
The cohesive molecules of the water that are
bound together.
object
movement
Surface of the water
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Cohesive Force
As an object moves through the water, resistance
is provided the type of water molecules the
object encounters.
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Bow Force
A force that is generated at the front of the
object during the movement.
Bow Force
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Bow Force
Increase in water pressure at the front of the
object.
Bow Force
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Drag Force
The backward force created by turbuences from the
bow force.
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Drag Force

• As the forward motion of the body/object creates
  turbulence or eddies, there are small whirlpools
  created as the water moves from areas of high
  pressure (the bow) to areas of low pressure

High Pressure
Area of Low Pressure
Forward Motion
Area of Low Pressure
High Pressure
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Drag Force

• This is important to aquatic therapy.
• the drag force on an object can be controlled
  by changing the shape of the object or the speed
  of its movement.
• This means that the more streamlined an object,
  the less bow force is generated, the less the
  drag.

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Drag Force

• This means if we have an athlete reduce his bow
  force, (use of the hands to streamline the bodys
  motion in the water) we can reduce drag force.
• The athlete doesnt have to work as hard!!!!!!

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Drag Force

• To decrease the resistance for a weak athlete,
  movements should be done slowly and in a
  streamlined position.
• To increase resistance, movements should be done
  faster and in a non-streamlined position.

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Drag Force
direction of movement
Water (Force)
Body
Notice the Turbulence!
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Drag Force
Body
Less Turbulence
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Advantages of Aquatic Therapy

• Exercises in water are more easier to perform
  than on land
• Weight bearing activities in water allow for
  better control by athlete
• Weight bearing activities can begin sooner in
  water than on land

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Advantages of Aquatic Therapy

• By applying Archimedes Principle you can
  gradually increase the amount of weight bearing.
  Athletes in neck deep water are only bearing
  approx. 50 of TBW.
• Warm water encourages increased ROM
• Water provides a medium for accommodating
  resistance- muscles are stressed gradually over a
  period of time.

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Advantages of Aquatic Therapy

• Increases athletes confidence in their ability
  to perform simple tasks.
• Energy is burned up four times faster than in
  land based activities (High calorie burn up).

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Disadvantages

• Cost of maintaining a rehab pool facility
• Patients require more stabilization in water and
  may need more supervision.
• Open wounds/Sores may be contraindicated for
  aquatic therapy. (spreading infection to other
  athletes.
• Excessive fear of the water by the patient.

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Disadvantages

• You may have to get in pool w/ patient
• Other
• Fever
• Urinary tract infections
• Allergies to pool chemicals
• Cardiac problems
• History of uncontrolled seizures

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Tools for Aquatic Therapy

• Kickboard
• Fins
• Pull buoys
• Paddles
• Wet Vest
• Rescue tube
• Milk Containers (Jugs)

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Aquatic Therapy

• Should never replace traditional land based
  exercise programs.

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Summary

• Aquatic therapy allows the athlete to exercise in
  a reduced stress (non-weight baring) environment.
• Aquatic therapy is meant to complement and not
  replace traditional land-based rehabilitation
  exercise programs.

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Techniques of Aquatic Therapy

• HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT Look up the two terms below
  in your Prentice text.
• Be able to describe them in LAB
• Buoyuancy Technique
• Bad Ragaz Technique