Aquatic therapy is revolutionizing the rehabilitation world. People are flocking to use underwater treadmills to hasten their recovery and it’s no secret why. Many facilities are discovering that through the use of hydrotherapy, patients are recovering at a quicker rate and with less risk of bodily harm. Underwater treadmills like the Mirage offer a complete therapy package that heals both the mind and the body. The list of benefits could go on and on, but here are just ten incredible facts about using an underwater treadmill.
- Keeps You Active: For most people, it’s not common knowledge that you need to keep active even during recovery. An underwater treadmill makes exercise during recovery easy. The natural buoyancy of water takes weight off the joints and muscles allowing you to keep going!
- Improves Gains: According to runnersworld.com many runners recovering from an injury reported continued gains while using an underwater treadmill. The resistance of water actually makes the muscles work harder.
- Improves The Immune System:Being stagnant is a sure way to get sick. To keep healthy one must remain active and keep a healthy blood flow. Most underwater treadmills like the Mirage allow for temperature controlled water. Studies show that working out in warm water increases blood flow and a healthy circulation of white blood cells.
- Flexible Training:The Mirage is well known for its versatility. Its programs can be set for a high intensity workout, a relaxing soak, or a leisurely walk. Knowing your limits is crucial to a quick recovery.
- Great for Beginners and Experts:Underwater treadmills are used by the young, elderly, beginning exercisers, and expert athletes. The Mirage’s friendly user interface and adjustable degrees of difficulty make it great for patients at all stages of recovery.
- Improves Cardiovascular Health: According to Runner’s World, working out in an aquatic treadmill has similar cardiovascular benefits to running. Without adding stress to the joints, water adds more resistance to muscles than exercising on land. These machines are often used to supplement mileage for recovering athletes, and are even recommended by Olympian coaches like Alberto Salazar.
- Promotes neurological retraining: Aquatic treadmills are not just used for retraining the body. Patients who are recovering from neurological conditions and paralysis are often taught to retrain their neural pathways via the use of hydrotherapy treadmills. Just check out at the miraculous recovery of our friend Rocky!
- Improves Balance: During a four week study of stroke patients, the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCIB) discovered that underwater treadmill training helped improve the dynamic balance of their participants not suffering from paralysis affecting one side of the body. Dynamic balance is crucial for patients in recovery because it is the type of balance needed to keep oneself upright while in motion. Runners also reported an increase in stability after using underwater treadmill training.
- Stress management: Being in pain can make working out near impossible. Exercising on an underwater treadmill has been shown to alleviate pain and stress. Just 20 minutes a day can reduce pain symptoms by up to 40%!
- Easy transition from recovery to normal functionality: Using aquatic therapy on machines like the Mirage helps athletes and non-athletes alike resume their daily lives after recovery. Working out promotes regaining basic functionality, strength, mobility, and flexibility. Click here to learn more about how the Mirage promotes exercise!
 Whether you are a recovering from an athletic injury or just getting back into shape, the Mirage will give you the support and flexibility you need to maintain a vibrant and healthy lifestyle. All of the benefits provided with this method of rehabilitation are too good to pass up! We’ve done our homework at H2O for Fitness, and we know that aquatic therapy via the Mirage will help you to achieve a faster and more complete recovery.
