Sandra Stevens, a physical therapist at Middle Tennessee State University, is using an underwater treadmill to improve the lives of spinal cord patients. Some of them were only able to walk for a few minutes in their daily life, before having to sit down. But after an eight-week study, the patients were walking 32 to 34 minutes -- a huge improvement.
Using an underwater treadmill is not the typical therapy for people who have suffered spinal cord trauma. Usually doctors put patients in a harness over a treadmill and use robotics to move the person’s legs. But in the tank, the patients were responsible for moving their own legs.
Other advantages of walking in water include:- Along with triggering nerves in the heart to beat faster, it also stimulates the impaired nerves that trigger walking.
- It improves muscle tone in legs coupled and gradually increases a person's ability to raise their heart rate.
- It produces greater blood flow, which increases cardiovascular activity.
- It enhances the patient's confidence to walk on his own.
Photo courtesy Middle Tennessee State University
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