St.Vincent's HydroWorx ® Therapeutic Pool Can Help Patients Achieve Optimum Health & Performance

Specialized Aquatherapy

St.Vincent is making a splash with a new kind of rehabilitation. Our Outpatient Rehabilitation Services now offers aquatic therapy using the HydroWorx® Therapeutic Pool.

Even those who have had difficulty with other therapies often show tremendous improvement with treatment in our warm-water facility, featuring an underwater treadmill, resistance jets and a pulsating massage hose. We even have an underwater camera and nearby 25" TV monitor and video recorder.

Aquatic therapy uses the principle of buoyancy to make exercise easier and less painful, because the forces on weight-bearing joints are reduced. The warmth of the water (92 to 94 degrees) helps reduce pain by relaxing tight or spasmed muscles and increasing blood flow. The water resistance and special jets help patients strengthen muscles and improve cardiovascular performance. Whether for rehabilitation from injury or illness, sports performance enhancement, or optimal recovery from joint surgery, the HydroWorx Pool can help patients achieve their health goals.

"Water therapy is my salvation. I have had a pain condition for several years, but physical therapy has always been difficult for me because it made me hurt worse. In the pool, I have much less pain than on land."
--Recent St.Vincent HydroWorx patient

Who can Benefit?

This unique hydrotherapy is ideal for:

• arthritis management/joint pain
• athletic/cardiovascular performance enhancement
• chronic back pain and lumbar stabilization
• foot, ankle or knee pain
• gait analysis
• lymphedema/edema
• musculoskeletal disorders
• neurological disorders
• pediatric conditions
• post-surgical conditions (e.g., ACL, TKA, laminectomy, rotator cuff repair)

"In the HydroWorx pool, my patients have less pain and greater freedom to move. I can start certain exercises earlier in the pool than I can on land, because the buoyancy and warm temperature help patients relax and have less pain."
--St.Vincent Physical Therapist

Aquatic therapy is not recommended for individuals with open wounds, infectious conditions, incontinence, urinary tract infections or uncontrolled medical conditions, such as cardiac illness or seizures.

"Last August I fell and shattered my femur. When I began physical therapy, I needed a cane to walk, and every step was a chore. Since (the pool therapy), I'm walking on my own."
--Recent St.Vincent HydroWorx patient

Research Findings on Water Exercise

Aquatic therapy has been shown to have superior results over traditional physical therapy in controlled studies. Individuals with following conditions demonstrated improved benefit when using aquatic therapy:

• anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) replacement
• fibromyalgia
• rheumatoid arthritis
• rotator cuff injury

The St.Vincent Rehabilitation staff specializes in using aquatic therapy for optimal patient rehabilitation. If you would like details on research findings involving aquatic therapy, please call our research coordinator at (317) 415-5717.

"It's warm and relaxes you. The buoyancy of the water makes exercise so much easier. I was a mess before I came here."
--Recent St.Vincent HydroWorx patient