2009-05-17 01:19:09 – Toronto area clinic installs underwater treadmill to ease the aches of patients.
Residents of the Greater Toronto Area challenged with mobility issues now have access to the most powerful tool for water exercise and therapy to help their weight loss and rehabilitation.
A local kinesiologist has installed a Hydrotrack Water Treadmill in her practice, adding to her arsenal of health, wellness and rehabilitation tools at the Functional Performance Health and Wellness Centre.
Kinesiologist
Katharine McLarty says the water treadmill is part of a growing range of treatment options available to clients who want to reclaim their life after an Injury, Weight Gain, Stroke or Brain Injury, Motor Vehicle Accident, Cardiovascular Disease, or Chronic Conditions such as Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s Disease or Diabetes.
As well, she predicts it will speed recovery for many clients. Individuals who have mobility and musculoskeletal issues such as post-stroke or brain injury or have just had, or are going to have, joint replacement surgery, will benefit from using the water to strengthen muscles, train balance and increase joint range of motion.
The water treadmill looks like a large aquarium. The treadmill’s speed and jet force can be adjusted, as can the water level, depending on the client’s height and the degree of resistance desired. The facility uses Hydrogen Peroxide to sanitize the water, which means clients are not exposed to the harshness of chlorine or bromine.
McLarty states that the exercise clients get on the treadmill significantly differs from swimming and aquafitness or aquatherapy in a pool. Regular swimming uses different muscles than a walking or running gait. Aquafitness requires participants to workout on the hard pool bottom, which is tile set on concrete thus still causing impact on the joints as well as try to maintain proper posture when moving through the water, which is difficult because participants must ‘lean’ in the direction they wish to travel to overcome the resistance of the water, resulting in the compromise in posture. The advantages of the water treadmill are that the belt and deck has water beneath it which offers more cushioning with each step, the moving belt means ideal walking or running posture is maintained throughout the workout, and the intensity of the workout is controlled because the speed of the treadmill can be set.
She says the treadmill can also be used for post-surgery rehabilitation on the premise that “motion is lotion for joints.” Athletes looking to reduce their joint stress and prevent overtraining, find it useful for conditioning exercises.
This is the only Hydrotrack Water Treadmill in Ontario, and is “A No Pain, All Gain experience!”
The Functional Performance Health & Wellness Centre is a holistic health and wellness facility that fosters change and health, based on the needs of the individual for optimal health for a lifetime. The facility is fully accessible and has a lift and harness to assist clients who can not weight-bear without assistance. All services may be covered under employee health benefit plans, Motor Vehicle Insurance (MVA) and may also be Tax Deductible. Clients describe the fees as “”eally reasonable” given the quality of life the treatments have offered them.
Clinic services include Physiotherapy, Acupuncture, Kinesiotaping, Active Release Therapy®, Registered Massage Therapy, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Psychotherapy, Naturopathic Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Personal Training, Pilates and Yoga Classes and Conductive Education.