What an Underwater Treadmill for Humans Adds to a Therapy Pool

Aquatic therapy programs offer recovery benefits for patients who have run out of options utilizing traditional land-based exercises. This story out of Naples, Florida is a clear example of what that looks like in practice.

A recent Gulf Coast News feature highlighted Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) in Naples, Florida, where patients are seeing the benefits of underwater treadmill rehab. Staff detail how water not only reduces the pressure on joints but also keeps muscles engaged through the full range of motion. One NCH patient had endured multiple back surgeries, resulting in limited mobility and no realistic way to exercise. Once she was in the pool, stretching and moving became possible again for the first time in years.

While a therapy pool delivers buoyancy and resistance on its own, it cannot hold a patient at a set pace or progress that an aquatic treadmill can. The adjustable speed and water depth of an underwater treadmill lets a clinician set exactly how much weight a patient bears, then reduce the support as they gain strength. That graded progression is what allows rehabilitation to begin sooner after injury or surgery, and it is why a single treadmill system can serve both a competitive athlete rehabbing after an injury and an older adult working toward independent walking.

If your facility already has a therapy pool, adding an underwater treadmill will elevate your rehab program. Read about the benefits of aquatic therapy here, and contact the Hudson team to incorporate a Hudson AquaFit or AquaGaiter into your existing infrastructure and therapy services.