Water Exercise, Basic Walking (Aquatic Therapy) – Ask Doctor Jo
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Water Exercise, Basic Walking (Aquatic Therapy) These basic water exercises in a pool will help get your walking or gait pattern back after an injury. They are also a good way to warm up before a water workout. For more aquatic therapy exercises, visit
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Doctor Jo is a licensed Physical Therapist and Doctor of Physical Therapy.
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Always use CAUTION with Exercising in a Pool:
If you can’t swim, don’t do these exercises unless there is a certified lifeguard on duty.
More Details About This Video:
One of the best ways to get your walking or gait pattern back after an injury is aquatic gait exercises. Walking in the water not only takes away some of gravity, but it also allows you to concentrate on getting your correct pattern back. It is a great way to get a workout without a lot of impact on your joints. These gait exercises are a good warm-up before you do an aquatic therapy workout.
It is really important to make sure you have good posture when you are in the pool. It is really easy to move your upper body a lot, but you want to try to keep your upper body straight and upright. Squeeze in your abdominals to help keep that upright position. Using ankle weights can be very beneficial. Not only do they give you some extra resistance, but they also keep your feet on the ground while doing the exercises.
To start off, simply walk forward. Concentrate on a heel to toe walking. When we walk on land, our heels hit first and we roll onto and push off with our toes. Exaggerate this movement while you walk while keeping that upright posture. Then reverse it and go backwards. Now your toes are going to hit first and roll back onto your heels. Try not to lean back when you are doing this, and keep your body upright.
Next, turn sideways. When you step, it is important to keep your toes pointed forward. If you turn your foot out when you step, you are changing the muscles being worked. Finally, march by bringing your knee up toward the surface of the water getting a bend in your knee and hip. Really try to drive your knee upward to get a good stretch. Again, don’t lean forward, try to keep your body upright.
Depending on how fast you go, these should take you between 5-10 minutes and is used as a warm-up to your exercises.
Water Exercise, Basic Walking (Aquatic Therapy):
DISCLAIMER: This video and any related comments are not medical advice. Doctor Jo is a licensed Physical Therapist and Doctor of Physical Therapy; however, she is not YOUR Physical Therapist and can’t possibly diagnose you through the Internet. So don’t use this information to avoid going to your own healthcare professional or to replace the advice they have given you. This information is only intended to show you the correct technique for physical therapy exercises and should not be used to self-diagnose or self-treat any medical condition. If you are not properly diagnosed, this information won’t help, and it could make things worse. So seriously, check with your healthcare professional before doing these techniques. If you experience any pain or difficulty while doing these exercises, stop immediately and see your healthcare professional.
