Here’s How Your Child With Cerebral Palsy Can Benefit From Aquatic Therapy

 

It’s difficult when your child is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. However, it is important to remember that the right treatment and therapy can go a long way in helping your child cope with its challenges. Aquatic Therapy is one of the most popular options to improve their mobility and make them more independent. It helps to improve their muscle control, enhance their range of functions, and boost their overall well-being, and instill them with confidence. Moreover, Aquatic Therapy allows your child to have fun in the pool and socialize with other children. Discuss this with your child’s therapist to see how best to go about it.

Understanding Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy refers to a group of neurological disorders that affect movement, muscle tone, coordination, and motor skills, and is caused by damage or abnormalities in the developing brain. The symptoms of Cerebral Palsy usually manifest during the child’s infancy or pre-school years and include rigidity in the limbs, abnormal posture, exaggerated reflexes, floppy limbs, lack of muscle coordination, difficulty swallowing, and delayed speech. Physical, Occupational, and Speech therapy, along with Stem Cell Therapy can help your child increase their range of functional abilities and lead a quality life.

Understanding Aquatic Therapy

Aquatic Therapy, also known as Hydrotherapy, makes use of water-based exercises to improve a patient’s physical functionality. It is a type of recreational therapy popularly used to help the body heal after it has undergone trauma — and has recently become popular as an effective treatment for Cerebral Palsy. The buoyancy of the water means that children with Cerebral Palsy feel the effects of gravity much less, which helps them move in ways not possible on land.

Benefits of Aquatic Therapy for your child with Cerebral Palsy

As part of the best cerebral palsy treatment, Aquatic Therapy can improve your child’s physical and mental health as well as enhance their overall well-being. Some of its benefits are as follows:

• Reduced physical discomfort: Being in a pool exerts a pressure on the whole body, which is effective in relieving joint and muscle pain. This makes Aquatic Therapy ideal for post-physiotherapy relaxation.

• Prevents injuries: A pool, particularly a heated one, provides a buoyancy that reduces the strain on your child’s joints. This helps them exercise, both aerobically and anaerobically, with less pain.

• Better cardiovascular function: When your child’s body is submerged in water, their heart needs to pump extra blood to compensate for the extra pressure. This alone, without exercise, helps improve cardiovascular fitness and endurance. 

• Better muscle tone and control: Being submerged in water reduces your child’s weight and also increases resistance as their body moves through the water. In fact, the viscosity of water means that walking through it involves ten times as much resistance as walking on land. As a result, even simple movements help your child build muscle and increase control. 

• Enhanced flexibility: Children who are working through flexibility training exercises will find that the combination of support and resistance provided by water helps them improve their range of motion. This is especially useful for those with shortened muscles and rigid limbs.

• Stress reduction: While exercise alone is beneficial for stress reduction, the pain relief provided by Aquatic Therapy is particularly helpful for those with Cerebral Palsy.

• More social opportunities: The more a child is accustomed to and comfortable with Aquatic Therapy, the more they can participate in pool-based social activities such as visiting a community pool with classmates or attending a pool party. 

• Lifelong fitness: Children with Cerebral Palsy who display particular aptitude in the water may go on to swim competitively — as part of a regional league or even in the Special Olympics. This will boost their self-esteem as their unique abilities will be recognized and rewarded.

• More confidence: Having a lifelong disability like Cerebral Palsy can take a toll on anyone, particularly children. With Aquatic Therapy, they can see improvements in their range of motion which generates a sense of accomplishment. This is immensely beneficial for their confidence and overall mental health.

Your child’s Cerebral Palsy diagnosis does not have to define their identity or their future prospects. They can and will lead a good life with the help of the best Cerebral Palsy treatment.