Aquatic Therapy for Osteoarthritis using an Endless Pool

Judithe had her pool installed partially in-ground in a sunroom.

The only problem with Judithe Savely’s Endless Pool workout is that her baroque classics tape goes on about 15 minutes longer than her optimal 45-minute routine. Generally, she repeats her therapeutic routine five times a week, and never less than three.

Judithe, 65, suffers from osteoarthritis, the deterioration of cartilage that causes pain, inflammation and loss of movement; and, in one leg, deep-vein thrombosis, a blood-clotting problem. One or both conditions may or may not be related to a serious accident in which she received a serious compound fracture in her leg.

The buoyant, zero-impact exercises - treading water and swimming against a gentle current - are a perfect way to deal with her infirmity, and the 86-degree water enhances circulation. Judithe’s appreciation of the music, which she studied as a little girl, "makes the routine flow," she says.

She shares the pool with neighbors who have an outdoor pool but who use Judithe's pool for their own therapeutic reasons, as does her husband, a non-swimmer before the Endless Pool was installed.

"It helps tremendously, particularly with mobility of your extremities. I didn’t think I’d like the current, but it’s the best thing we’ve ever done."

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