FITNESS Recovering from injury? Try swimming

Water works


Using a pool for injury rehabilitation

Personal trainer
Paul O'Brien

Whether you are a recreational exerciser or a sports player, chances are you have been injured at some time. Most people go straight back to light land-based exercise – light jogging/cycling etc or machine-based weights – when recovering from injury. Most people also do this too early, panicked by falling fitness levels or upwardly creeping bathroom scales.
One major problem with going back to land-based training after an injury is the simple effect of gravity. This means that you have to bear your own bodyweight or, in the case of weights, compressive loads that place far too much strain on your injury. A frustrating and demoralising cycle of one step forward, two steps back ensues, peppered with visits to a physiotherapist.
There is another way: water. A water-based environment has many unique advantages for injury rehabilitation: Increased buoyancy due to water density (1,500 times that of air), which reduces buoyancy; increased resistance due to density; increased stability; and less demands on muscular contractions.
These advantages allow athletes to perform exercises and ranges of motion that are not initially possible on land in the early stages of injury rehabilitation. Water-based training is particularly useful for lower limb injuries (hip, hamstrings, knee, ankle etc). More care needs to be taken when exercising an upper-body injury as these movements will necessarily mean working in water from chest to neck level, although adaptations are possible. A good trainer will be able to prescribe a suitable program for any particular injury.
For resistance training, pool equipment such as floats can be utilised to create additional resistance when performing lower and upper body exercises. By changing the position and number of the floats in the water and by using artificial currents, resistance can be increased or decreased as desired.
The pool is an excellent environment to allow an athlete to begin plyometric training, or return to it earlier than is possible on land following injury. Plyometrics refers to the stretch and shortening action of a muscle, typically seen when performing jumping or bouncing movements. The increased density of water will displace the weight borne by the injured muscle far more effectively than air.
For sportspeople who rely on this type of movement in their sport, water-based training is often the only way to maintain plyometric training in the early stages of rehabilitation. A trainer can prescribe a progressive program of plyometrics that will lead to a safer transition to land-based activities and a quicker return to action.
The density and buoyancy of water also makes the pool a great place to perform stability training. Single-leg and other stability exercises can be very unsafe on land but are far easier to perform in water, while still offering the neuro-muscular benefits to the athlete.
Finally, the psychological benefit of water-based training can also be invaluable. The relative safety of the water environment can allow an athlete to recommence training at a much earlier stage than by using land-based training alone. This helps keep motivation and moral high. The specific challenges of the water environment will help an athlete stay mentally alert and focused. For injury rehabilitation, water works.

Paul O’Brien is a certified personal trainer with the American Council on Exercise and a qualified life coach. He runs his own business in Westport and is the creator of Bootcamp West, an exciting and challenging exercise programme in Westport. For details of upcoming classes, visit www.bootcampwest.com or e-mail paul@bootcampwest.com or telephone 086 1674515.