Properties and Benefits of Exercising in the Water

Water has traditionally been seen as a source of rejuvenation, even though this sentiment was based on intuitive judgments instead of scientific fact. But over the last decades of the 20th century and the beginning decades of the 21st century, more data and articulation of water’s restorative properties have emerged. The aquatic medium’s most recognized helpful feature is buoyancy. To those experiencing pain, stiffness, and difficultly weight-bearing, buoyancy “lightens” the load placed on the skeleton and joints, often resulting in pain relief and ease of movement. The present paper explores buoyancy and other properties of the water that often yield beneficial results with respect to any number of chronic conditions, and for some conditions that are not usually associated with aquatics as a resource such as dementia, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and childhood cancer. The second half of the paper provides a sampling of recent research supporting the beneficial effects of aquatic exercise for many of the aforesaid conditions.