Aquatics

Sue Soha, has her Master’s in Physical Therapy, and has provided Aquatic PT for the last 20 years in both indoor and outdoor pools.  She learned to swim at 18-months old, in a mom and baby class. She has put her love of water and swimming skills to good use over since, as a member of her childhood swim team, a lifeguard, swim instructor, and pool manager.  She offered swim instruction to her own children alongside neighborhood children when they were younger.  She shares her skills and love of the water, now, to help children she treats.  Sue works one-on-one with her clients to help them reach their full potential in a fun and safe way, so they have access to one of summer’s greatest pastimes, enjoying the pool with friends and family in their own community for years to come!

Aquatic therapy is a modality she uses, because of the special properties of water:

•  Hydrostatic pressure helps address pain management, and support children with muscle weakness.  
• Boyancy offers a tremendous advantage, because it reduces the effects of gravity allowing for increased joint range of motion, helps her clients with orthopedic, sensory, balance or neurological impairments to work on balance reactions, Some learn to walk or stand independently, run, jump, or hop, in the water for the first time, where they might not be able to do so on land.  
•  Viscosity of the water provides resistance for strength training. 

Benefits of aquatic therapy also include:

• Decrease in muscle and joint stiffness, and rigidity, if water is warm 
• Decrease in pain. 
• Increase in confidence, because it evens the playing field, 
• Increase in learning Gross Motor Skills, because learning is faster and easier when it doesn't seem like work!    
• Increase in learning many of the water safety skills needed to learn to swim.  
• Increase in body awareness and integration of some hidden senses like vestibular, tactile, and position (proprioception).