3 Physical Therapy Exercises You Should Try

Until I was seriously injured, I never gave a thought to what constituted physical therapy. There were enough other active things I enjoyed doing that were more important to me. However, now that I have experienced both the need for PT and the many benefits it provides, I think it's important to share what I've learned with you.

Before I get into the exercises, let me point out that all of these are either no impact or low impact. This is great if you have arthritis, if you're recuperating from an injury or if you want to make sure that your joints are well protected.

1) Walking/running in water: This does several things. It builds up strength in your legs, so that your muscles can help the ligaments and tendons. Water provides resistance, so that you are actually doing more of a workout than regular walking or running. While it is doing all of that, you are protected from the impact, making it less painful and less likely to cause harm.

2) Aquatic Weight Lifting: I had never heard of this before, but the results are spectacular. These are made of styrofoam. Our gym has two sizes, though there may be locations with more. This is for arm and core body strength. You hold one in each hand, then raise and lower your arms straight out from your sides. Once you've done ten of those, you pull them in front of you and push them in and out. The last step is to put your arms together, straight out in front of you. Then, with the weights under water, turn from side to side so that your arms come as close to ninety degrees as they will go. Believe me, you will feel it later if you don't have much upper body strength.

3) Leg Lifts: You can do this in the pool or at home. In the pool, follow the same pattern as for your arms (though you won't need the weights). At home, lie on your back and lift both legs up a few inches. Hold for at least three seconds, then lay them back down. You can also do reps with just one leg, then the other. This exercise is very beneficial if you are dealing with knee problems.

Physical therapy exercises may be very beneficial to you, but it is always a good idea to speak with your doctor before beginning any exercise program. This will help you prevent injuries that could side line your workout routine.

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