I have a confession to make. I lied. I have taken my first steps, completely unassisted and without equipment, in a therapy pool.
Therapy pools are, well, pools. More specifically, they are pools that meet certain criteria in their water depth and temperature to be used for fitness purposes. Typically, the water within a therapy pool has to be between 90 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit, or 32.2 to 48.8 degrees Celsius, as opposed to the average recreational pool’s temperature of 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, or 25.5 – 29.4 degrees Celsius. Why are therapy pools crafted this way? Would that temperature not be incredibly uncomfortable to swim in for long periods? Well, yes. It would be. However, swimming for long periods is not exactly what therapy pools are meant for.
Therapy pools are meant for those with limited range of motion, such as seniors or those with physical disabilities, to exercise. The temperature of the water helps relieve a condition called muscle spasticity, which affects those with conditions such as cerebral palsy. Guess what I have?
This spasticity stems from neurological impairments to the brain due to a lack of oxygen at birth, which itself can affect the development of brain tissue and fine-motor nerves, which control joints like fingers or elbows. Muscle spasticity is like having my brain be on a neighbor’s Wi-Fi. If I am trying to swim and I signal my brain to kick my legs forward when my muscles are having a spasm, the inputs do not register, I am unable to move them. They are “locked up,” in simple terms. Without the ability to move, I sink like a rock. Warmer water helps those seizing muscles relax and I am able to articulate my body much easier than normal.
When it comes to walking, sure, my brain might not have the neurological connections to bear weight on my feet, but I can use the water to hold myself up and keep my balance. When I say that I can “walk” unassisted, I actually mean that I can move my feet around without having someone around me. I assure you, I am not having a Jimmy-Neutron-brain-blast that magically reconnects all those pathways in my brain and cures my disability the moment I step into above-room-temperature water, rather, I am essentially cheating by letting the environment around me do all the heavy lifting.
So, how does it actually feel?
It feels like Google Glass. Neat, sure, but most definitely a gimmick. I have to wear swim shoes because it turns out that not walking makes the skin on the underside of my foot comically brittle and sensitive to the smallest of scrapes. Also, for the love of God, never go near an air duct or any sort of light breeze, that means sudden and acute pain to any part of the body that is not totally submerged in the water below. Oh, and also, my body has never been moved like this before, or at all. How fun!
Also, I can very easily drown in the water I am inside of, maybe, possibly, probably. If I ever want to leave, I will feel the whiplash of every crash test dummy in existence as I exit and as all my muscles contract due to my rapidly decreasing body temperature.
Cool, though, would do it again. Eight out of ten experience.