Are you or someone you know battling Parkinson’s disease and struggling with movement, balance, and stiffness in daily life? It’s a tough journey — we know it can affect not just your physical health but also your confidence and independence. But there’s hope. Aquatic therapy is a wonderful way to ease these struggles, allowing you to move more freely and with less discomfort.
In this article, we’ll explore how aquatic therapy can help people with Parkinson’s improve their mobility, balance, and overall well-being. Our aim is to empower you with knowledge, techniques, and confidence to move forward in life — just like a leaf gliding effortlessly on water.
About Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition caused by reduced production of Dopamine in the brain, producing motor symptoms of Tremors, Rigidity, Bradykinesia, and Postural Instability. It is predominantly seen in elderly population and profoundly affects the lifestyle of the patient.
The main symptoms — stiffness, slowness, balance problems — not only make movement challenging but also affect daily routines. Activities like sitting down, standing up, turning in bed, or simply walking across a room become hard. Furthermore, the disease can affect a person’s ability to perform simple tasks, reducing their independence and confidence.
In India, where the elderly population is growing, Parkinson’s is becoming a health concern for many families. It’s not just a physical ailment — it also impacts a person’s mental health and their ability to connect with their surroundings and their loved ones.
Why Aquatic Therapy is Better Than Traditional Physiotherapy for Parkinsonism?
While aquatic therapy and traditional physiotherapy have their benefits, aquatic therapy provides a safer, more effective environment for improving mobility, reducing rigidity, and enhancing overall well-being in people with parkinsonism.
Exercising in water is less exhausting than on land because buoyancy reduces the strain on muscles and joints, which helps the patients to perform exercises with less fatigue and more endurance.
This makes it an ideal option for elderly people or those with weakness and poor balance. Furthermore, the gentle resistance of water adds a unique form of resistance training without causing discomfort.
The warm water also dilates blood vessels and improves circulation, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to muscles and joints — a key consideration in improving their functionality.
Benefits of Aquatic Therapy for Treating Parkinson’s Disease
Aquatic physical therapy plays a major role to improve balance and coordination, improve mobility and range of motion of joints in a Parkinson patient. It also improves stooped posture. Exercising in warm water promotes muscle relaxation, which helps to reduce muscle rigidity.
Aquatic therapy can improve circulation and cardiovascular health, which is beneficial for overall well-being of patient.
The benefits of aquatic physical therapy are not limited to improving physical health of a Parkinson patient. It’s benefits also include boosting confidence of patient and mental well-being by providing a sense of freedom and reducing stress and anxiety.
For many people, the ability to move without fear of falling brings back their confidence and independence. There’s a wonderful feeling of “freedom” when a person finds they can perform movements in water that were challenging on land.
This newfound confidence often reflects positively on their mood, motivation, and willingness to pursue other activities in daily life.
In Sanskrit, we say “Jala Tattva”, the water element, has a healing, purifying, and calming nature. Just as water finds its path effortlessly, a person, supported by water, finds a way forward — a path toward recovery and renewal.
Types of Aquatic Physical Therapy Interventions
Aquatic therapy provides an environment which is suitable for performing a variety of exercises. The exercises focuses on improving strength and mobility, enhancing balance and coordination, posture and gait training, and improving flexibility.
Exercises like leg lifts and kicks, knee flexion-extension and arm circles improve strength and mobility. Balance and gait are trained by exercises like single leg balance, floating, core stability exercises, walking in water and tandem walking.
For promoting flexibility and relaxation, torso twists, stretching using pool wall, deep breathing and floating are helpful.
Some therapists may also use specialized equipment, like noodles or flotation belts, to aid balance and stability, allowing the patient to perform a greater range of movement safely.
Additional Benefits of Aquatic Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease
Relieves Stiffness and Pain
The warm water, typically maintained at 32°C or 34°C, helps ease stiffness in muscles and joints. It reduces resistance to movement and lets the patient move more smoothly.
This is especially helpful for people experiencing “freezing episodes”—those moments when their feet seem to be temporarily “glued” to the ground.
Provides a Low-risk Environment
Because water supports the body’s weight, the risk of falling and injuring oneself during exercise drops significantly.
This makes it a wonderful medium for elderly people and those weak in balance to practice movement safely.
Boosts Mental Health
Some people find water therapy calming and pleasurable. The feeling of weightlessness, combined with the gentle resistance of water, can lift their mood, ease stress, and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety — all of which are frequently associated with Parkinson’s.
Conclusion — a Path Toward Better Living
Aquatic therapy plays a vital role in Parkinson’s patient rehabilitation. It helps the patient to regain the strength and mobility, improve posture, balance and gait, which provides a sense of freedom to patient and reduces stress and anxiety, which helps the patient to live a better life.
Whether you’re at the early stages of Parkinson’s or experiencing advanced symptoms, this form of therapy can be a powerful tool in your recovery journey.
As the Sanskrit phrase goes, “Jala hai Jeevan” — Water is Life. So, let’s embrace the healing properties of water to bring back movement, independence, and happiness into the lives of those battling Parkinson’s.
If you or a family member is living with Parkinson’s, consider trying aquatic therapy to regain confidence and independence in daily life. It’s a gentle, effective way to move forward and live better.
Consult a health professional first to check whether aquatic therapy is suitable for you. Always follow a trained therapist’s guidance and supervision during sessions.
If you’d like more information or wish to learn more about this approach, please reach out to a physical therapist or health expert at Dr. D. Y. Patil College of Physiotherapy, Pimpri, Pune today. Your path to freedom starts now — one step at a time, in the healing waters.
Authors
III Year BPT Students -- Nirjala Dhore, Krushnal Dange, Dhyani Chopda, Diya Tank, Sandhya Yadav.