Your ankles bear the whole weight of your body on a few small or slender bones and tendons. You need your ankles to bend and flex in multiple ways, as well as to absorb shocks when you run or jump.
So it makes sense that your ankles are a common location for injuries, joint degeneration, and other orthopedic conditions.
When your ankles aren’t in good working order, you may suffer from symptoms such as persistent ankle pain, difficulty standing or walking, and stiffness in your ankle joints.
At Town Center Foot & Ankle of Kingwood, Texas, Dr. Stephen G. Eichelsdorfer (“Dr. Ike”) and our team of foot and ankle specialists focus on improving your ankles’ condition, as well as relieving uncomfortable and inconvenient related symptoms.
With the right treatment, you can resolve ankle pain and move more quickly, confidently, and comfortably. Often, physical therapy plays a major role in your treatment plan for ankle pain. Hydrotherapy, a form of physical therapy that you do in water, works well for many individuals with ankle issues.
What is the benefit of adding water to your physical therapy? Let’s take a look at what hydrotherapy could do for your lower-body pain and dysfunction.
Physical therapy involves stretching tendons and ligaments, and strengthening muscles around problem areas of your body. For ankle pain, it’s important that physical therapy not add any extra stress to your already overtasked lower body. That’s where low-impact hydrotherapy makes all the difference.
When you’re in the water, buoyancy holds up much of your body weight, so your lower body doesn’t have to do as much work or bear up under as much pressure. Exercises that would stress your ankles out of the water are much easier on your body once you’re supported in the water.
The hydrostatic pressure of water pressing on your body reduces swelling. With your body underwater, blood flow increases, as does lymphatic flow, speeding healing and alleviating inflammation.
Hydrotherapy can also increase resistance during physical therapy movements. In this way, hydrotherapy safely increases the challenge you’re asking your ankles to meet, while still leaving you in complete control of your healing and recovery.
Dr. Ike recommends hydrotherapy for strains and sprains, post-surgical recovery, and even osteoarthritis treatment. Your hydrotherapy might focus on building strength or flexibility, or recovering movements like jumping.
Depending on the underlying cause of your ankle pain, you may benefit most from different types of activity in the water.
Your hydrotherapy plan at Town Center Foot & Ankle may include deep-water yoga or aerobics. Or you might spend time walking in relatively shallow water, exercising without damaging your struggling lower-body joints.
You work with a physical therapist in a treatment pool, so your hydrotherapy remains guided and on-target. You may need several hydrotherapy sessions to recover after an injury, or ongoing hydrotherapy treatment for conditions like arthritis.
To learn more about physical therapy for ankle pain, contact Dr. Ike at Town Center Foot & Ankle today. Schedule your consultation appointment online or over the phone.
