Regular swimming has been proven to help reduce the risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. It’s also beneficial for those with arthritis, obesity, and joint pain, as the buoyancy of water reduces the impact on joints.
Being active in water can be transformative!
As well as being a great way to keep generally fit, exercising in water is often recommended for people with arthritis and other MSK conditions, for a number of reasons:
- The buoyancy of water helps to support the weight of the body, reducing strain on painful joints and helping you move your body in a way that sometimes might be difficult or painful out of the water.
- Water provides a degree of resistance for you to work against, which can help to strengthen your muscles and also help improve balance.
- Movements in water are easy to adapt if someone has an injury or disability.
- The benefits to mental health also cannot be ignored. Swimmers can experience significant reductions in depression and anxiety, resulting in fewer visits to healthcare professionals and reduced reliance on medication.
- There are also benefits to conditions that are sometimes associated with MSK conditions such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, where exercising is beneficial but doing it on land may not be so easy.
“Motion is lotion”
Swim England have produced 2 great videos as part of the new initiative ‘Swimming as Medicine’
If you’d like to find your local pool, take a look at Swim England’s Poolfinder Tool
Download this handy guide to Swimming with Musculoskeletal Conditions here
