Aashlee Paris Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Aashlee Paris Wednesday, November 09, 2005

PT 100-Library Assignment Tom Glumac

Benefits for People with Multiple Sclerosis using Aquatic Therapy

Aquatic Therapy is the can also be called Hydrotherapy. To understand the benefits, of Aquatic Therapy for people with Multiple Sclerosis, you must first understand what Aquatic Therapy and Multiple Sclerosis are.

I will start with Hydrotherapy. According to (Gale, 2005) hydrotherapy is the use of water (hot, cold, stream or ice) to relieve discomfort and promote physical well-being. It was begun thousands of years ago and is dated as far back as 4500 B.C., and the use of steam, baths, and aromatic massage to promote well being is documented since the first century. It is believed that it originated in Pakistan. Two Roman physicians by the name of Galen and Celsus wrote of treating patients with warm and cold baths in order to prevent disease, and the same idea is used today (Gale, 2005). Hydrotherapy can be used to soothe sore or inflamed muscles and joints, rehabilitate injured limbs; lower fevers soothe headaches, promote relaxation, treat burns and frostbite, ease labor pains, and clear up skins problems. The temperature of the water during treatment affects the therapeutic properties. Most of the time when hot water is used it is for relaxation. Warm water is used for stress reduction. Last cold water is used to reduce inflammation. (1)

Multiple sclerosis also called MS is a chronic, inflammatory and often disabling disease that attacks that central nervous system (the brain, spinal cord and sometimes the optic nerves). It destroys the white matter tissues, which is responsible for transmitting communication signals to the CNS then to the rest of the body.(2) Within MS myelin (the protective covering around nerves) is destroyed and replaced by scars of hardened (sclerotic) patches of tissue. These patches are called lesions or plaques, and they occur in multiple places within the CNS. MS is believed to result from a dysfunction of the immune system, but the real cause is unknown and it is not contagious or infectious. MS is a hard condition to characterize because it is very unpredictable and always changing. The symptoms vary greatly depending on which parts are damaged, and how severely they are damaged. (2)No two people get MS in exactly the same way and expression as another person, each person’s disease is as unique as their fingerprints. MS can be very serious but it is rare for someone to lose function of all possible areas. With MS a person my experience numbness, tingling, pins and needles, muscle weakness, muscle spasms, cramps, pain, blindness, blurred or double vision, incontinence, urinary urgency or hesitancy, constipation, slurred speech, loss of sexual function, loss of balance, nausea, fatigue, depression, short term memory problems, forms of cognitive dysfunction, inability to swallow, and an inability.(2) MS is usually a slow process, few people experience all the possible symptoms, and some people do not experience any. Three-quarters of the people with MS do not use wheelchairs. Some people who with MS have no symptoms, and it is not known that MS was present until an autopsy is done. There is no cure for MS, but certain this can be done to decrease the symptoms and one of them is hydrotherapy. (2)

Individuals with MS have unique needs when aquatic therapy, because heat tends to increase the severity of their particular symptoms, the water used during treatment must be cool. People with MS should exercise in water that range from 80 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit to receive satisfying benefits and to increase the amount of exercise tolerable. If for some reason the water is to hot the participant will experience fatigue or a lack of energy. (3)Water is a good modality for MS because it provides maximal total body exercise, minimal joint stress, and optimal heat dissipation. The buoyancy allows weightlessness in water. This helps a person with weekend extremities attain a greater range of motion as the effects of gravity eliminated. Another benefit of exercise for a person with MS is the reduction of pain. Since they are battling against daily pain, and have not found any medication that works effectively the pain, many find that they feel better during or after participating in aquatics. Although the results are beneficial it is important that a person get a physicians approval before become involved with hydrotherapy. (3)

Physical effects of water activities may include the improvement of strength, circulation, range of motion, pulmonary functioning, and balance and coordination. Water activities for individuals with MS can also be beneficial in psychological ways including improved mood, positive body image, enhanced self-esteem, and a decrease in anxiety and depression.(3) Recreational activities are also encouraged. Overall hydrotherapy is a good way to get some relief from the symptoms of MS; sometimes the results can provide life-long satisfaction.

Works Cited

1.) Campion, M. Hydrotherapy: Principles and Practice.

Jordan Hill, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann; 1997.

2.) Veenstra J., Brasile F. American journal of recreation therapy:

Perceived benefits of aquatic therapy for multiple sclerosis participants.

Prime National Pub, Corp. 2003; 2: 33-48

3.) Ford, M., Frey, R. Hydrotherapy. The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative

Medicine. Vol. 2 Second Ed. Farmington Hills, MI; 2005: 1012-1016