Aquatic therapy helps joint replacement surgery patients prepare, recover
Baptist Hospital East offers a class for total joint replacement patients to provide everything they need to know about their upcoming joint replacement surgery. A new aquatic therapy class at the Baptist East/Milestone Wellness Center can help those same patients strengthen their muscles and joints before and after surgery.
Water is an excellent medium to use for therapy because it takes the weight off the bones and joints and allows patients to move more freely.
The joint replacement aquatic therapy class meets twice a week, 45 minutes, in the warm therapy pool at the Wellness Center. The class is taught by a physical therapist. Participants learn exercises to strengthen and stretch weak muscles needed during recovery from surgery.
People tend to not be as active they are in pain. People who are not active can become deconditioned and all of their muscles are a little weaker. Strengthening the arms and hips will make it easier and safer to use a walker after surgery.
Baptist East performs more hip and knee joint replacement surgeries than any other hospital in the state. Patients undergo physical therapy after surgery as part of their rehabilitation. Some patients see a therapist from the Baptist Hospital East Home Health Agency before surgery and once they’ve returned home. In addition, post-surgery patients may take advantage of the aquatics class.
The ideal candidate for the class is the person who has gone to the doctor with hip or knee pain and was told he or she would probably have to have joint replacement surgery in the near future. That would be the best time to start preparing for surgery.
Patients who have received therapy at a Baptist facility also qualify for a special three-month membership to the Wellness Center at a reduced rate. Rehab patients must join within two weeks after discharge from therapy to be eligible.
The class not only physically helps patients, but also helps their frame of mind regarding joint replacement surgery.
The joint replacement aquatic therapy class is free for Wellness Center members. There is a fee for non-members. For more information, call (502) 896-3900, ext. 127.