There's No Fear in the Water

Arleta Voyce, resident of Knoxville, has had numerous medical problems recently leading her physician to refer her to physical therapy at Pella Regional Health Center’s Medical Clinic in Knoxville.

“There are so many things to think about when you are handicapped,” said Arleta, who walks with the help of 2 canes. “Going to visit someone takes a lot of planning and thought. Will there be steps to get into the house? Are the seats big enough for me? I could fall so easily.”

Unfortunately, things didn’t go well with therapy. “I was so arthritic, I couldn’t do it. It just hurt too bad,” said Arleta. The physical therapists at the Medical Clinic in Knoxville suggested aquatic therapy to Arleta and she decided to give it a shot.

“I enjoy it,” said Arleta. “I’m always ready to go. There’s no fear in the water because they have a long ramp and the water is only 4 feet deep. You can even grab the sides if you’re not comfortable.”

Aquatic therapy uses the physical properties of water and specifically designed activities to enhance, restore or maintain a person's functional abilities, to assist in healing, and improve exercise performance. It is a beneficial for patients who are in pain and struggle with therapy on land. By decreasing the amount of joint stress it is easier and less painful to perform exercises.

“There’s no pain in the water because you are buoyant,” says Arleta.  She works on tasks in the water like kicking her legs, marching, squats and more to get her moving and improve flexibility.

Arleta explains that the best part of aquatic therapy is that she has no pain in the water. “I did not think I could do some of the exercises, but I did. It’s scary on land because I could fall. But I’ve been doing this aquatic therapy for about a month and I really think I’m more limber now.”

Learn more about Aquatic Therapy at Pella Regional.