The elderly, disabled and injured who have limited movement and pain often look toward aquatic physical therapy as a way to stay fit and to gain mobility or rehabilitation after surgery. The pool water is typically kept in and around the 90 degree F temperature range, which serves to calm the muscles and soothe pain. Aquatic physical therapists are not the same as other occupations that also perform aquatic therapy. Aquatic physical therapists have more extensive anatomical, biological and therapeutic knowledge as applied to physical therapy.
Duties
An aquatic physical therapist either personally works with a patient in the pool or supervises the work being done by an aquatic physical therapist assistant. Before pool therapy begins, an aquatic physical therapist meets with patients outside of the pool environment to assess their condition and to determine which pool exercises can create a successful treatment, rehabilitation, prevention or fitness plan for a particular individual. The physical therapist closely monitors patients to maintain a safe environment and uses proper assistive or protective devices to ensure safety. The overall goal is to achieve a gradual and noticeable improvement in the mobility and functionality of patients to improve their quality of life.
Character Traits
Since aquatic physical therapists work closely with patients, they must be able to communicate and get along well with people. They must be comfortable around people with disabilities because many patients with conditions such as cerebral palsy, fibromyalgia, muscular dystrophy and other musculoskeletal or neuromuscular disorders experience improvement and increased mobility due to continual aquatic therapy sessions. They also deal with clients who are often in pain, so a general compassion and desire to want to help people relieve their pain and gain mobility are important qualities to possess.
Education
An aquatic physical therapist must take classes in water safety, risk management and physical therapy techniques that can be performed in water to produce effective results. They are trained and certified physical therapists who are also able to perform therapy techniques with patients outside of a water environment. Some basic classes needed to study physical therapy include biology, physics, chemistry, human growth and development, anatomy and biomechanics. Aquatic physical therapists must at least earn a master's degree in physical therapy from an accredited college or university and pass national and state exams to obtain a license to practice.
Job Outlook and Pay
The demand for physical therapists is expected to increase by 27 percent from 2006 to 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a rate much faster than other occupations are expected to expand because of an anticipated increase in the elderly and disabled populations, as well as the need for rehabilitation services, states the Bureau. Physical therapists can earn an average of $50,600 to $60,300 in their first year of practice to $58,200 to $72,100 after 5 to 9 years of practice, according to PayScale.com in October 2009.
Additional Information
The idea behind aquatic physical therapy is the water provides support, which helps to relieve pain and pressure on the joints during movement. At the same time, it also provides resistance to movement, which serves to exercise and strengthen the muscles. The Aquatic Therapy and Rehab Institute (ATRI) recommends aquatic physical therapists limit their time in the pool each work day to no more than 4 continuous hours.
Tags: physical therapy, physical therapists, aquatic physical, aquatic physical therapist, Aquatic physical therapists, physical therapist
