Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Aquatic workouts


Courtesy of "Core Performance"...


Exercising in Water Reduces Osteoarthritis Pain

After an analysis of six studies and more than 800 subjects, the October 2007 issue of The Cochrane Library reported that in people with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee, pain may decrease by one point or more on a scale of 0-20 by participating in aquatic exercise and that physical function may improve by three or more points on a scale of 0 to 68. Most of the studies measured patients after three months of aquatic therapy.

[Note: These studies were conducted primarily with older adults, but there is no reason why the effects of aquatic exercise on younger adults who have arthritis wouldn't be the same.]

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What is the average number of calories burned during an hour of Water arboics compareed to that of land arobics? Does WA offer a more complete muscle workout than LA?

Paul C. said...

Caloric expenditure differentials have to do with how hard you are working ("relative intensity"), as well as one's body weight. A basic chart to consult is found here (http://www.eddieoneverything.com/sports/how-many-calories-does-activity-x-burn.php). I will say that as long as you are getting in an appropriate amount of cardiovascular exercise each week, focus on activities that you enjoy and get an effective workout from. Aquatic workouts are very effective and enjoyable. My only caveat would be that they do not effectively improve one's bone mineral density (BMD). Therefore, make sure your regimen includes adequate resistance training to tackle this aspect.