Relief With Warm H2O

When Kimberly Kennedy’s doctor, Breann Kelley, MD, a weight management specialist with the Total Weight Loss Center, suggested she take a Warm Water Exercise Class through the hospital’s Fitness Center, Kimberly was apprehensive. “I wondered how water resistance could possibly help with my balance issues and pain,” said Kimberly, 54.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Kimberly began taking the classes this year. She has since taken two six-week sessions. “I’m now a big proponent,” she said. “The warm water helps me move more. When I first lifted my leg up out of the water, I thought ‘Oh my gosh. What just happened?’ I hadn’t been able to do it on dry land.”

Long Road 

Kimberly had a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and reconstructive surgery after her 2015 breast cancer diagnosis. Four years later, she began having balance issues and pain in her extremities. An MRI revealed her spinal cord shrank. “This not only makes it hard for messages to get from my brain to my legs, but it’s also why I can feel wobbly and dizzy,” Kimberly added. “With the warm water exercises, my pain has reduced, and my balance and walking have improved. This is the lifestyle change I needed.”

Keep Moving 

“Water-based classes take the weight and pressure off joints, making it easier to exercise, and they provide cardio and strength training by increasing your heart rate and providing water resistance,” Dr. Kelley said. “It’s a great way to exercise, preserve muscle mass and increase strength.” A trained aquatic therapist evaluates each person, customizing a water exercise program that meets specific needs and helps achieve functional goals, so participants can keep moving. Because the warm water is supportive, the exercises:

• Decrease pain
• Help with posture
• Improve flexibility and strength
• Reduce swelling on weight-bearing joints

The 45-minute classes are offered two or three times a week in the 3.5-foot-deep pool set at 91 F.