the aquatic therapist

Ask Andrea: Chemo Chemicals

Dear Andrea: I'm a registered massage therapist, specializing in aquatic therapy and am seeing a new patient who has some lumbar issues and a knee that might need replacing down the road. She is also presently receiving chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. While there needs to be no discussion about the positive effects of immersion for her back and knee, my concern is with the effects of the chlorine in the pool while she's undergoing chemo. My pool is chlorinated while her pool in her hometown is salt-water. What advice can you share about the effects of chlorine in conjunction with chemotherapy?

Questioning in Seattle

Dear Questioning: Thank you for your question. Salt water pools are still chlorinated pools. State statute requires that all public pools have a halogen (e.g. chlorine/bromine) in them for sanitation. A "salt water" pool is just a pool that brings chlorine in a solid (NaCl or salt) and the uses electricity to split the Na from the Cl (thus rendering Chlorine). It's really not necessarily any easier on your skin. For more info on salt water generation, see Alison Osinski's info here

http://www.alisonosinski.com/?p=419  (tab down to inline generator);

and here:

http://www.carefreeclearwater.com/saltwaterpools.html

A better choice may be a pool that doesn't just rely on a stand-alone halogen for disinfection. Look for a pool that uses a supplemental system like ozone or ultraviolet light. These systems have dual options for disinfecting the water so that a lower level of halogen can be used. More info here:

http://www.alisonosinski.com/?p=432

I hope this helps!

Andrea

I'm a registered massage therapist, specializing in aquatic

therapy and also operating a breast health clinic. I've attended several workshops with experts in

the cancer field in Seattle and Toronto.

Control of an Exoskeleton for Realization of Aquatic Therapy Effects

Kyoungchul Kong;   Hyosang Moon;   Doyoung Jeon;   Tomizuka, M.; Dept. of Mech. Eng., Univ. of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA. Control of an Exoskeleton for Realization of Aquatic Therapy Effects. Mechatronics, IEEE/ASME Transactions on. 2010; 15(2): 191-200.

Exoskeletons are attracting great attention as a new means of rehabilitation devices. In such applications, control algorithms of exoskeletons are often inspired by nature for natural and effective assistance for patients. In this paper, a control algorithm inspired by aquatic therapy is introduced.

Aquatic therapy provides various beneficial effects for rehabilitation based on useful properties of water, e.g., buoyancy and drag. The proposed controller calculates joint torques equivalent to the buoyant and drag forces.

Then, an exoskeleton-type assistive device generates the calculated joint torques to provide the similar effects as aquatic therapy.

In this paper, the Sogang University biomedical assist robot is utilized as a testbed. This paper also discusses the mechanical impedance of actuators, which obstructs implementation of controllers in practice. The resistive forces generated by actuators are precisely modeled and compensated to realize the control algorithm inspired by aquatic therapy correctly and effectively.

Aquatic Therapy Insanity Sale (until midnight)

 

50% off GROUP-COUPON... It's live at www.swimatu.com. Sale is on until midnight July 4th

 

Comprehensive Aquatic Therapy, 3rd edition (May 2011 release)

 

Hot off the presses!

 

Comprehensive Aquatic Therapy (CAT) authors just got their first-eyes copies of this 3rd edition. 

 

Over 8 years in the making.... It's HUGE.

 

At 560 pages and 1.5" thick, it's 140 pages bigger than the 2nd edition. It's truly the quintessential guide to aquatic therapy. 

• Get yours shipped today
  
• View contents

 

Comprehensive Aquatic Therapy remains the acknowledged reference text for aquatic therapists the world over. Featuring extensive updates from the 2nd edition, in this edition the editors have included extensive case studies, with multiple choice questions and answers as didactic content.New chapters have been added, covering the entire scope of aquatic therapy practice, including innovative new techniques with material for program development, including staff training and marketing.

Standards and Guidelines for Aquatic Fitness at Your Therapeutic Pool

Looking for an authoritative source on what temperature your pool should be for MS patients?

Or, whether or not your instructor should stand on deck?

Or how much time is too much time for therapists to work in the pool?

Turn to the source. Download the Aquatic Exercise Association's white paper "Standards and Guidelines" (updated 2011; 10 page PDF).

 

1.5 Million to Investigate Aquatic Therapy for Patients with SCIs: Way to Go, Paula & Peter!

Christopher Reeve made us aware of what was possible with aquatic rehab. Before his death, he had experienced some ground-breaking moments in the pool.

So, where do we go from here?

Well, Paula Richley Geigle PT, PhD and Peter Gorman MD (Kernan Rehabilitation Hospital, Baltimore, MD) are leading the way.

The Department of Defense has granted 1.5 million dollars to investigate aquatic therapy vs. land-based rehab for SCI.

Their study will compare the effects of 3 months of 3x/week aquatic therapy to a robotically assisted aerobic locomotor training exercise (Lokomat).

The study will focus on functional ambulatory ability and cardiovascular fitness in individuals with chronic motor incomplete spinal cord injury (MISCI).

Outcome measures include: gait parameters, speed, distance; V02; Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury (WISCI II); Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM); and glucose tolerance.

A second site is Shepherd Center (Atlanta, GA) with Leslie VanHiel BME, MSPT, CCRC, and Keith Tansey MD, PhD as collaborators.

 

News: Asthma Fears Prompt Infant Swimming Warning in Germany | February 2011

On the heels of a number of studies linking swimming to respiratory issues, a German agency has become the first to recommend that children younger than 2 years old with a family history of allergies avoid indoor pools.

The warning is based on a number of studies that suggest disinfection byproducts formed from the reaction of chlorine when combined with organic compounds — including human sweat and other body fluids — may contribute to respiratory issues.

Read more in aquaticsintl.com article

 

Using oxygen during aquatic therapy, exercise and swimming: Exactly how do they do it?

So... your patient is on oxygen. Now what?

What should they do with their tank during aquatic therapy time?

Why, bring it with, of course!

Here is Faye Goodwin's story. Read how she simply straps her O2 tank to a rubber dinghy to swim.

Here is a discussion of patients with COPD telling how they waterproof their 02 rigs for kayaking.

There are even some commercial products cropping up. Click here to find a floatable oxygen tank ring: oxygen tank floats.

How to Prevent Your Swimsuit from Wearing Down Quickly

 

- by Bobby Missry -

SPONSOR GIVEAWAY: Swimsuitsforall.com is one of our sponsors. To take advantage of their swimwear for aquatic therapy (especially the hard-to-find sizes 18+), click here. Use the coupon code Sport20 to get 20% off.

Searching for plus size swimwear can be challenging... if you step into the wrong kind of swimsuit. Swimsuits can, at times, test our patience. Some of today's swimsuits simply wear out too quickly. Having a full, curvaceous body doesn’t always help in this situation.

Here are some tips to help you keep your swimsuit from wearing out too quickly.

One of the number one enemies of swimwear is chlorine. This is especially true when it comes to hot tubs. The combination of heat and a high concentration of chlorine can destroy the fabric of many types of swimsuits.

Even swimming pools take a toll on swimwear. This is why it is wise to wash your swimsuit with soap and water after you step out of the pool. Simply washing it with water does not get enough of the chlorine out before it causes damage to your bathing suit.

A good rule of thumb is to buy a high quality, chlorine-resistant plus size swimsuit. Be willing to spend a little extra. Certain brands of plus size swimsuits are worth the money since they are made of a superior quality material and boast added durability.

There are specific types of swimwear that feature a material with a higher concentration of polyester. The higher concentration of polyester resists much of the damage caused by chlorine. This way your swimsuits don’t fade as quickly or lose their elasticity prematurely.

Despite your size or your swimsuit intentions, it is generally wise to invest in chlorine resistant swimwear.

FUN FACT: Interestingly though, clothes washed in typical washing machines are exposed to much higher levels of chlorine than are bathing suits worn by bathers in swimming pools. Most commercial pools maintain free chlorine levels of between 1.0 and 10.0 parts per million (ppm). A standard capacity washing machine holds approximately 40 gallons of water. As Clorox advertises on TV, you should add a full cup (8 ounces) of 5% chlorine bleach to the wash load. This is the equivalent of adding 4 ounces of 10% sodium hypochlorite. The dosage required to introduce 1 ppm of 10% sodium hypochlorite to 10,000 gallons of pool water is 12 fluid ounces. Therefore, adding four ounces of sodium hypochlorite or the equivalent 8 ounces of Clorox to my wash water raises the chlorine level to approximately 83 ppm. Source: www.alisonosinski.com

Research: Swimming pool-based exercise as pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD patients

Rae S, White P. Swimming pool-based exercise as pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD patients in primary care: feasibility and acceptability. Prim Care Respir J. 2009 Jun;18(2):90-4.

Sydenham Green Group Practice, Sydenham, London, UK. sneeda@hotmail.com

Abstract

AIM: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of swimming pool-based exercise as pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) for COPD sufferers.

METHOD: 101 patients with mild or moderate COPD registered with a South London general practice were invited to a swimming pool-based PR programme. Participants completed spirometry, the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ-SR), and the Incremental Shuttle Walk Test (ISWT) before and after the programme. A qualitative interview was used to assess participants' views.

RESULTS: 24 patients (24%) expressed interest; 18 were recruited and 16 (16%) completed the PR programme. Their mean age was 69 yrs, seven were female, and mean % predicted FEV1 was 59%. The mean number of sessions attended was 10.6 out of 12. Significant improvements in dyspnoea score (difference 4.9; 95% CI -8.27 to -1.48) and walking distance (difference 32 metres; 95% CI -52.63 to -11.36) were observed, and all other findings were in the direction of improvement. Most patients enjoyed being in the water, were happy to expose themselves in swimsuits, overcame their fears, valued learning about COPD and socializing with fellow sufferers, and were positive about their physical improvement.

CONCLUSION: The swimming pool is a feasible and positive alternative venue for PR for COPD patients in primary care.