If you’re dealing with back, shoulder, elbow, or joint pain, water might not come to mind when you consider how to alleviate that pain and recover.
However, aquatic PT (physical therapy) may be the solution you’re looking for. This therapy harnesses the healing properties of water through targeted exercises to help you move better, hurt less, and rebuild strength faster.
At Active Rehab Clinics, Tony Zemlinsky, DC, is a Master Certified Aquatic Therapy practitioner. Dr. Z and his team are experts in the Burdenko Method — Aquatic therapy sessions take place at our Park Ridge location, where our therapy pool is located. However, you can begin your evaluation, intake, and treatment planning at either our Bucktown or Park Ridge clinic before transitioning to aquatic sessions.
Here are five ways aquatic PT might be exactly what your body needs right now.
A significant challenge with lower back pain, ankle sprains, or Achilles pain is that traditional exercise can exacerbate joint pain. Water exercise is a game-changer. Being submerged in water greatly reduces your effective body weight, alleviating painful movement.
The Burdenko Method uses the natural properties of water to create an exercise environment where movement can begin earlier and more freely than on land. That means you can start moving much sooner in your recovery.
In water, every movement is met with resistance in all directions, meaning your muscles are working harder than they may seem to be.
The Burdenko Method focuses on developing balance, coordination, flexibility, endurance, speed, and strength, and water is the ideal environment to address all six at the same time.
That’s especially helpful when you want to:
The result is a workout that challenges your body without the pounding that comes with land-based exercise.
At Active Rehab Clinics, our team takes a holistic view of body movement. Using tools such as Physimax motion capture technology and OptoJump gait analysis, we assess your movement patterns to identify structural imbalances before we design your treatment plan.
The Burdenko Method aligns well with this approach because it helps you focus on intentional movement. When your body isn't fighting gravity, you're more likely to build the right movement patterns from day one of your recovery.
Pain is typically the main barrier to recovery. When movement hurts, it's easy to shrink back, which can significantly slow the healing process. Water helps reduce swelling and ease pain during exercise, allowing you to move more freely.
If you have shoulder or lower back pain, tennis elbow, or snapping hips, aquatic PT can be a turning point in your recovery.
Aquatic PT gives your body a controlled, low-risk environment to rediscover movement. Land-based training and performance work then build on that foundation. Together, they create a transition plan built around your needs and goals.
The Burdenko Method is a water and land program, making it a natural fit for a comprehensive treatment. In addition to water therapy, Dr. Z also incorporates chiropractic care, physical therapy, and land-based functional movement.
To move past pain and get back to your activities stronger and healthier than before, explore what aquatic physical therapy and the Burdenko Method can do for your recovery.
Contact our office in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago or in Park Ridge, Illinois, by phone or online today to schedule your appointment.
