What You Should Know Before Beginning a Water Exercise Program
- As with any exercise program, check with your doctor before beginning any kind of water exercise. There are some patients for whom water exercise is not recommended.
- Find a program with a qualified instructor. Your local Arthritis Foundation and YMCA are good places to start looking. You might also ask your doctor or physical therapist for a recommendation.
- Ask about the temperature of the pool. Since most people with fibromyalgia are very sensitive to cold, the closer the pool’s temperature is to body temperature, the more comfortable you will be. However, do not attempt to exercise in a hot tub without your doctor’s permission. Just sitting in water that hot can raise your blood pressure. Exercising in hot water can be extremely dangerous.
- Start slowly, exercising no more than 20 to 30 minutes two or three times a week. Gradually increase your time until you are working out 45 minutes to an hour.
- Don’t overdo. Exercising in the water can be deceptive. Because you don’t feel like you’re straining, it is easy to do too much without realizing it. Until you have a few sessions under your belt and know how you feel after working out, take it easy. Any time you feel tired, stop exercising and relax in the water or leave the pool.
- Do not try to push through the pain. If you experience new or increased pain, stop.
- If a particular exercise is causing you pain, talk with your instructor. There may be an alternative way of doing the exercise or you may just need to sit that one out.
- Relax, have fun and enjoy your newfound freedom of movement in the water!
Research Supports Benefits of Water Exercise
A number of studies have confirmed that water exercise has both physical and emotional benefits for fibromyalgia patients. The results of two studies done in 2006, one in Brazil and one in Spain, showed that fibromyalgia patients experienced reduced pain, improved functionality and better emotional health. A 2001 study from Norway compared the effects of land-based and pool-based aerobic exercise on women with fibromyalgia. The study found that both forms of exercise resulted in physical improvement. However, the pool based group also reported improvements in pain, anxiety, depression, self-reported physical impairment and the number of days they felt good. All three studies reported long-term benefits from water exercise.
