Brenda VanSalisbury Introduces Aquatic Therapy – Editor’s Note: We spoke with Registered and Licensed Occupational Therapist Brenda VanSalisbury about Aquatic Therapy. Brenda owns Freedom Rehab Aquatic Therapy located in North Port. Learn more and read helpful testimonials on her Freedom Rehab Facebook page. Please call 941-400-1505 for a free consultation.
What is Aquatic Therapy?
Aquatic therapy is water-based physical rehabilitation. When you are in chest deep water you are only 20 weight-bearing on your joints and spine. This provides a pain-free environment which allows our patients to perform exercises that are too painful or difficult on land. The buoyancy of the water enhances the range of motion for a person’s joints. Mobility is also much easier in the water.
What’s your history using Aquatic Therapy to help patients?
When I used to work with home health patients, many of them would tell me how much they missed spending time in their pools. They could no longer get in and out by themselves, or they needed supervision. I was already aware of the benefits of therapy in water so that prompted me to offer this service. Positive feedback from our early patients has prompted our growth to help even more people.
Who can it help?
Aquatic therapy can help anyone with back or joint pain, neurological deficits such as Parkinson’s or stroke, adults dealing with pre and post joint replacement, and basically anyone experiencing weakness from surgery, injuries or other conditions.
How many sessions does it take for a patient to feel results?
We recommend 24 visits for most patients. Many people see results after two or three weeks. Each patient wears a floatation belt for safety. There’s no swimming and you will not get wet from the shoulders up. We stay in the shallow area of the pool and our therapist is focused on providing hands on support. If someone is uncomfortable in a suit, they can wear casual attire such as a tee shirt, shorts or athletic clothing.
You offer the therapy in your pool in North Port, but you also offer therapy at a patient’s private pool. What’s the criteria you use for bringing the therapy to someone else’s pool?
We want patients to have a heated pool, so their muscles can relax. We also want to make sure they can safely enter and exit their pool.
Where are you originally from, Brenda, and what brought you and your family to North Port?
I was born and raised in Queens, New York. I came to Sarasota on a vacation and we relocated six- months later. My husband and I have been here for 18 years and we have an eleven-year-old daughter who is all-Floridian!