Back and spine
Mechanical lower-back pain, postural neck pain, disc herniation without serious involvement, and spondylitis. In water the spine is unloaded and deep muscles can be worked without overloading.
What it is
How it differs from aquagym
Aquagym is a group class: music, rhythm, everyone doing the same thing, with a fitness goal. Therapeutic swimming is the opposite — programmed work on a specific limitation, with more individual correction and no competitive element.
In practice that shows up in three ways:
- It starts with an assessment. Before getting in the water, we look at what hurts, which movements are limited and what you want to achieve.
- The exercises are yours. Two people with lower-back pain may do different things depending on their diagnosis.
- Progress is measured. Not "did I attend", but whether you have gained range of movement or reduced the pain when getting up.
What it helps with
When it usually works
Water lets you move without carrying your body weight. That makes it the right medium when exercise on land hurts or is not possible.
Post-operative recovery
Knee, shoulder or hip after surgery, once the wound is closed and the surgeon has given the go-ahead. Unloading makes it easier to regain joint range without pain.
Chronic conditions
Osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and persistent fatigue. The goal here is not performance, it is maintaining function and reducing day-to-day pain.
Pregnancy and post-partum
Water relieves the lower-back load of pregnancy and makes it easier to work on breathing and the pelvic floor. After birth it helps restore abdominal support.
What a session looks like
How it is structured
The session starts out of the water with a short review of how your week has been: what has hurt, what you have been able to do. From there, the work in the pool runs in three blocks.
- Warm-up and unloading. Gentle mobility and floating to decompress the spine.
- Main block. Exercises specific to your limitation: core strength, shoulder mobility, hip control, breathing pattern.
- Cool-down. Stretches in the water and a simple routine to do at home.
Usual frequency is one or two sessions a week. The heated salt-water pool helps in longer sessions: less eye and skin irritation, and more breathable air if you have rhinitis or mild asthma.
Important: therapeutic swimming does not replace medical treatment or physiotherapy. If you are referred, bring the report so we can adjust the work.
Getting started
Two ways in
Either you come referred by your doctor or physiotherapist, or you call and explain your case directly.
If you are referred
Bring the report with the diagnosis and recommendations. That lets us adjust the work from the first session and avoid contraindicated exercises.
If you come on your own
Call 620 21 66 46 and explain what is going on and what you want to achieve. We will assess whether a group or an individual session fits your case.
If you are after a group water-fitness class instead, see aquagym.
Frequently asked
Questions about therapeutic swimming
Do I need a medical referral?
It is not essential to start, but if you have a diagnosis or come referred by a professional, the report lets us tailor the work much better from day one.
Is it suitable with a disc herniation?
In most cases yes, provided there is no serious neurological involvement and your doctor agrees. Water unloads the spine and allows work without the compression of land exercise.
Do I need to be able to swim?
No. Work is done in the shallow end with floats. You can start without being able to swim.
How long before I notice a difference?
Immediate relief after a session is common from the first week. Lasting functional improvement usually appears between the fourth and eighth week of consistent work.
Does it replace physiotherapy?
No. It is a complement. Therapeutic swimming maintains and improves function; treating an acute episode is the job of your doctor and physiotherapist.