Study Shows Warm-Water Therapy Aids in Recovery Process for Knee Replacement Patients

Although the study isn’t “hot off the press”, so many of our Olympic Hot Tub Company customers have told us about their knee replacement surgeries that I want to make sure everyone knew about this!

Alexandria, VA, January 24, 2007 – A recent study funded by the Hot Tub Council (HTC) of the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals (APSP) found that patients who undergo total knee replacement surgery and incorporate water exercise into their treatment, as opposed to land exercise alone, have a greater opportunity to return to normal function faster. The warm-water therapy study also found patients to have an improved range of motion and less pain and swelling throughout the recovery process.

The HTC provided a $50,000 grant to the Foundation for Physical Therapy (FPT) to conduct the study. The FPT awarded the grant to Richard McAvoy, a physical therapist in Somersworth, New Hampshire. McAvoy created two experimental groups of 30 people who had undergone unilateral total knee arthroplasties. One group of participants utilized only land-based therapy, while the other group was exposed to both land- and water-based therapy, the latter in a pool heated to 92 degrees Fahrenheit Note: It’s easy to adjust the temperature in a Hot Spring Spa to 92 degrees.) Range of motion, pain, swelling and functional status were measured and the hypothesis proven: warm-water therapy patients do, indeed, recover faster.

Though results from this study were in favor of warm-water therapy for rehabilitation post-knee replacement, there is more research to be done.

So considering knee surgery? Maybe you’ve already scheduled it for later this year. Don’t be like my sister-in-law in Cheyenne who had both knees replaced at the same time and did no water therapy. She was in terrible pain for a year.  You can avoid it and come out stronger using a hot tub!!

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

From: HotTubLiving.com and APSP, the Association of Pool and Spa