Water Workout With Treadmill

For those of you who enjoy the water and need your cardiovascular workout as well, there are treadmills that can give you both. Called underwater treadmills, they are primarily found in rehabilitation treatment facilities and used to help folks recover after having a hip replacement. Veterinarians use underwater treadmills, too, to help dogs, horses and other animals that need help with resistance and swift, smooth movements.  

The underwater treadmills are, indeed, submerged in a pool of water. Their use increases the strength of the body's muscles and the hip motion.

Generally, when used on humans, the underwater treadmills are in water that is chest high for the patient. Just like traditional treadmills, underwater treadmills have conveyor belts, and the patient walks or runs on the belt.  The momentum caused by the patient walking or running on the treadmill as well as the energy involved in displacing the water provides a terrific workout.

For hip replacement patients the usual regimen with the underwater treadmills is to start out with a very slow walking pace, and then gradually keep increasing the pace, sometimes until the patient is running in the water. This gradual treadmill exercise increase promotes an increase in motion, in the strength of the muscles and the strength of the hip itself.

Underwater treadmills are generally used with the supervision of a physician, licensed physical therapist or other medical specialists who are trained in physical rehabilitation and use of the underwater treadmills for rehabilitation.
 
Underwater treadmills aren't just to help the hips either. You can use underwater treadmills while back stepping, running or walking, for abdominal conditions, or back and knee problems.  

Patients who have undergone hip replacements struggle with coordinating their walking gait, achieving an acceptable range of motion at their hip and finding strength in the hip. Underwater treadmill offers the potential advantage of water buoyancy while walking on the treadmill. Exercising on an underwater treadmill removes the need for the newly reformulated hip to support full body weight during each step of the walk. During exercise on an underwater treadmill, the water provides mild resistance to the motion of the person, which enables them to strengthen the hip and hip-flexor muscles over the time.

Underwater treadmills can also help rehab patients minimize their postoperative swelling, increase the strength in their muscles and get back the use of the limb on which an operation was performed.  

Exercise with an underwater treadmill can be forward or reverse; you can back step, retro walk or a number of other exercises specific to your back or abdomen improvement needs.  Underwater treadmills have no sharp edges and can be used with your bare feet. The construction of underwater treadmills is specifically designed to withstand the chemical requirements of the pool. Underwater treadmills, unlike traditional treadmills, can be continuously submerged in water without maintenance.