Date of Award

1997

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Master of Physical Therapy (MPT)

Department

Physical Therapy

First Advisor

Peggy Mohr

Keywords

Exercise Therapy; Swimming

Abstract

Aquatic therapy is quickly becoming a popular form of treatment in pediatric physical therapy. The unique properties of water allow children with disabilities to exercise and experience movement that they are often unable to experience on land. Despite the numerous benefits of aquatic therapy, few resources are available which visually demonstrate suggestions for the use of this form of treatment. A visual teaching aid would provide students and professionals in physical therapy with exposure to aquatic therapy treatment techniques with a pediatric population.

The purpose of this study will be to research and review the literature regarding aquatic therapy and create a video to provide a visual teaching aid to familiarize physical therapy students and professionals with pediatric aquatic therapy and provide techniques and exercises that can be utilized to treat children with disabilities. Techniques and exercises will be demonstrated with children who have disabilities and with children who do not have disabilities. All sessions with the children will take place in Grand Forks, North Dakota, under the direction of a physical therapist from the Child Evaluation and Treatment Program (CETP) or a University of North Dakota physical therapy faculty member. A dialog of instructions, benefits, precautions, progressions, and variations will accompany each technique and/or exercise. By actually observing the treatment on a pediatric patient in the therapeutic pool, the students and professionals will be able to understand and apply the knowledge and techniques in their own therapeutic programs.

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