Summer in Australia and swimming often go hand in hand, and is generally seen as a recreational activity that is loads of fun and allows us to cool down in the heat of the day. You may not have been aware however, that swimming is a great sport, with good research suggesting that it can that can assist in:

• management of chronic pain
• rehabilitation of many injuries including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, joint replacement, back pain
• pain associated with fibromyalgia
• managing symptoms associated with stress and anxiety
• improving balance in people with osteoporosis

The benefits of swimming are quite diverse.

Fitness
Swimming is one of the few exercise forms that is very close to a full body workout. It is also thought to be as good, if not better than running in terms of burning calories and weight-loss. When trying to compare the two for an equivalent workout, it is thought that you need to swim only about 25% of the distance you would run, for the same fitness benefit. There is some variation in this depending on the type of stroke.

The key to improving the effectiveness of your swimming workout is by increasing your stroke efficiency. The easiest way to monitor this is by counting the number of strokes it takes to swim from one end of the pool to the other. As a guide, once you’ve got your stroke count, aim to decrease this by about 10% within 6 x 30 minute swim sessions.

Low Impact
One of the greatest benefits of swimming is that it is virtually non-impact, so you can increase your fitness and endurance without placing excessive strain on your joints. This is great when recovering from injury – you can maintain your cardiovascular fitness without compromising your recovery.

Water is 900 times thicker than air. It is thus able to provide both resistance and buoyancy. The challenge of pulling yourself through the water will also assist in maintaining/increasing your muscle strength, while your deep abdominal muscles (core stabilisers) will work to prevent you rolling from side to side.

Rehabilitation
Swimming is not the only exercise that you can do in the pool. Water based exercise, particularly in a heated pool, is a useful adjunct in rehabilitation in two main ways. For those who require assistance in moving their limbs, the water can provide buoyancy, making exercises easier to perform properly and thus improve their effectiveness. When strengthening is required, the water can provide resistance to work against, making the exercises harder. In both cases, because the water tends to challenge your balance, your core stabilisers are engaged to maintain your equilibrium.

North Parramatta Physiotherapy offers physiotherapy in the pool two sessions per week. If you would like more information on this service, please speak with your physiotherapist or give us a call.

Cross-Training
Don’t forget, if you need resistance training for conditions such as osteoporosis, it is best to combine your swimming with some weight-bearing exercise, such as walking and light hand weights. For those who like variety in their workout, remember that swimming combines really well with other sports and is a great option for cross-training. If you really like a challenge, many pools now offer biathlons or triathlon competitions, so you can combine swimming with running and/or cycling as well!

With the 2009 fast approaching, many people will be returning to sport or dance training after some time off.

Pre-season screenings can help to identify particular areas of weakness and assist in injury prevention. These can be of great assistance in directing to any athlete or dancer who is serious about improving skills in their chosen activity, by identifying areas of potential risk that can then be addressed in training. They are also really beneficial in assessing a young female dancer’s readiness to commence pointe work.

We would like to offer a special on screening assessments for the New Year:

Sports or Dance specific, comprehensive assessment of joint mobility, strength and balance, for the price of a standard consultation.

This includes verbal feedback at the time of consultation and a written report for your coach / dance teacher that will be emailed or posted to you within a week of the screening being completed.

Screenings usually are the same price as an initial assessment, so please mention this newsletter when making your appointment to take receive your $20 saving.
This offer is valid until the end of February 2009.