Water-based Therapy

If she had a choice over exercising in the pool or on land, Ellensue Jacobson would choose the pool every time. That is likely why she decided to utilize Aquahab in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for physical therapy on three separate occasions.

Aquahab is a gym and physical therapy center that offers a complete spectrum of rehabilitation services. Customers are able to receive physical therapy both on land and in water. Trained and licensed physical therapists determine the method of treatment individually to each patient, based on his or her injuries.

“All I know is that physical therapy is working,” said Jacobson, who first attended Aquahab when she injured her rotator cuff after carrying a heavy suitcase.

Prior to her injury, Jacobson had never tried physical therapy in the pool. Ultimately, she liked the water-based treatment better, as she felt she got a full-body workout easier, maximizing her time. “I can combine the arm and the leg [workouts] at the same time,” said Jacobson. “So I’m not really there twice as long.”

Colene Clayborne, the clinical supervisor at Aquahab and one of Jacobson’s physical therapists, runs Jacobson through a number of dry and water-based tests at the beginning of each session, to get her muscles warmed up. This includes exercises in a 4-foot, 94-degree pool.

“When one of her injuries does flare up, she really wants to work hard at it so she can get back to doing the things she wants to do,” said Clayborne. She sees patients who are not coming in for just injuries, but also to improve balance or assist with arthritis.

For members or clients with injuries, Clayborne suggested helping to instill them with a positive attitude. “Coming into it with a positive attitude and being willing to work hard, that will make the progress even better,” she said. “They definitely have to be an active participant in order to get better.”