Emerging from the Waters: Evolution in Stroke Recovery
I remember in biology class that I was taught that early life on earth formed in the "primordial soup" of the earth's oceans. That is, the elements eventually combined into living organisms, who became more and more complex. Once life had begun in the water, it eventually migrated to the land.
I mention this because it's a parallel to aquatic therapy for stroke patients. In many ways, recovering from a stroke is like learning to live again. When we were born, our bodies are formed, but quite unable to perform many of the functions we take for granted later in life, such as walking, running, skipping, jumping. So it is with a stroke patient, in many ways they are like newborn babies, ready to learn again to live, to move to roam upon the land.
The good people at University of Hull in the UK provide the materials for this post. They concluded a study on aquatic therapy for stroke patients. My dear readers you will not be surprised to learn that their conclusion is music to my ears. "Aquatic therapy had a more positive effect on walking speed, balance, and mobility than land-based exercises".
They support my efforts to engage stroke patients with aquatic therapy from the beginning. In water, the stroke patient finds new life. The water of aquatic therapy renews the bodies. The progress forward in recovery renews their spirits. Ultimately, as the University of Hull study proves, they emerge from the water, ready to create a new life on the land.