Water Exercise: 78 Safe and Effective Exercises for Fitness and Therapy by Martha White, Leland Winston, Leland Winston (Foreword by)

From the Publisher

Water exercise is excellent for physical therapy and fitness because it enhances range of motion and eases pain of movement. Now a single book makes it easy for you to design your own water exercise program, whether for injury rehabilitation, special conditions, cross-training, or just shaping up.

Water Exercise features 78 clearly described and illustrated exercises that range from beginning to advanced levels of difficulty. The book also features complete exercise programs for specific injuries and conditions and for improved fitness. You can tailor each program to suit your needs, so no matter which exercise program you choose, you'll start at the appropriate level and progress safely into more challenging movements.

Part I discusses the rehabilitative benefits of water exercise, along with guidelines for customizing your workout program and descriptions of accessories that can add a whole new dimension to your exercising.

Part II presents 26 beginning, 29 intermediate, and 18 advanced exercises. Each exercise features one or more illustrations and descriptions of equipment needed, starting position, movements, precautions, and special hints for making the exercise more effective. You'll also find four illustrated deep-water exercises for improving cardiovascular endurance and decreasing compressive forces on the spine.

Part III features injury-specific water exercise programs for recovering from injuries or surgery, with chapters devoted to rehabilitating the lower leg, ankle and foot, knee, thigh, pelvis and hip, trunk and spine, shoulder, and lower arm and wrist.

Part IV details water exercise programs to help you achieve total fitness from abeginner's level to an advanced cross-training program. This section also includes a chapter of water exercise programs for people with rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson's disease, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, and multiple sclerosis.

Water Exercise is especially suited to:

- people attempting to regain strength and flexibility after an injury or surgery,
- sedentary people just starting an exercise program,
- individuals wanting to lose weight and gain muscle tone,
- fitness enthusiasts and athletes seeking to maintain or increase their fitness level, and
- aquatic therapists and exercise instructors looking to expand their knowledge of water exercise.

Arthur E. Squires

This book profiles the population that may benefit from aquatic exercise. It then outlines the characteristics and parameters of water therapy and provides descriptions and displays of graded exercises. The purpose is to define and educate those individuals who may benefit from water exercise. Additionally, the book provides clear and concise instructions in varied exercises. Certainly, there is a need to educate a growing population who may benefit from this form of therapy. Largely, the work accomplishes its goals. This book is clearly directed toward a client population. Although the author urges the reader to begin under proper supervision, this is a how to book for a beginning client. This work would also be beneficial to those progressing from a supervised to an independent program. This author demonstrates a good grasp of her specialty. However, there are some lapses in either editing or more generalized medical knowledge that diminish the author's reliability. This work presents appropriate clear illustrative drawings of each exercise. Although there are a few parenthetic sources, this work is largely not referenced. Both the table of contents and index are well suited for the target audience. The book has a positive appearance. The cover, print size, and spacing all add to its appeal and ease of use. Although directed toward a inexperienced client base, this work could be a worthy reference for those patients who may be allowed only initial guided therapy. The work's complete endorsement must be tempered because of the inclusion of some misinformation, some minor, some not. For example, the book describes inaccurately the relationship, function, and anatomy of the plantarismuscle to the plantar fascia, and incorrectly describes HDLs as bad cholesterol. There are other less serious errors. In summary, the work could be used by appropriate health care providers to provide clients with an independent reference. A second edition should focus on correcting the errata.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Arthur E. Squires, BSPT (Medical College of Ohio School of Allied Health)
Description:This book profiles the population that may benefit from aquatic exercise. It then outlines the characteristics and parameters of water therapy and provides descriptions and displays of graded exercises.
Purpose:The purpose is to define and educate those individuals who may benefit from water exercise. Additionally, the book provides clear and concise instructions in varied exercises. Certainly, there is a need to educate a growing population who may benefit from this form of therapy. Largely, the work accomplishes its goals.
Audience:This book is clearly directed toward a client population. Although the author urges the reader to begin under proper supervision, this is a ""how to"" book for a beginning client. This work would also be beneficial to those progressing from a supervised to an independent program. This author demonstrates a good grasp of her specialty. However, there are some lapses in either editing or more generalized medical knowledge that diminish the author's reliability.
Features:This work presents appropriate clear illustrative drawings of each exercise. Although there are a few parenthetic sources, this work is largely not referenced. Both the table of contents and index are well suited for the target audience. The book has a positive appearance. The cover, print size, and spacing all add to its appeal and ease of use.
Assessment:Although directed toward a inexperienced client base, this work could be a worthy reference for those patients who may be allowed only initialguided therapy. The work's complete endorsement must be tempered because of the inclusion of some misinformation, some minor, some not. For example, the book describes inaccurately the relationship, function, and anatomy of the plantaris muscle to the plantar fascia, and incorrectly describes HDLs as ""bad cholesterol."" There are other less serious errors. In summary, the work could be used by appropriate health care providers to provide clients with an independent reference. A second edition should focus on correcting the errata.

Rating

3 Stars from Doody

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents