Originally Posted by marion06095

I’m so glad you asked! I am always happy to share (brag?) when it comes to talking about how water therapy has helped give me some sort of control over MS. First I’ll give you a little background:

I was a very athletic and active teen and young adult. I was especially good at swimming, and my summer jobs while in school were always swimming related. I qualified for Senior Life Saver two years earlier than most, at age 16. I was a lifeguard at town’s swimming pools for the town I lived in through late high school as well as summers and part-time winters while in college. Over the years, I had kept up with swimming to some extent. Then – yadda – yadda – yadda, I got diagnosed with SPMS at age 59, and my mobility quickly went down the drain. I knew that if I didn’t do something radical, I’d be an “invalid,” what ever that means. I decided to fall back on one of my life-long strengths – swimming. Long story short, I took our two-car garage, and turned it into a swim-spa room. I had a SwimEx physical therapy pool installed. Since then, I have been able to put the power chair in storage, and I rarely use my rolling walker unless I’m going to the airport or a museum or something.

I guess they would call what I do “light aerobics,” and/or “slow swimming.” It is more movement than muscle. Also, part of my workout includes “deep water jogging.” I keep the temperature of the pool at around 85 degrees F. This is a temperature that I can slowly exercise for a good long time (2 hours) and not get cold. I have a little sound system out there, as well as a little TV hung up on the wall. I can’t tell you what a difference this has made in my life. I do owe a whole lot of credit for my improved condition to LDN, but I am sure that LDN’s effects on my health/mobility have enhanced the benefits I get from water exercise. Since I started swimming at home, I haven’t had a swollen ankle, I’ve dropped a ton of weight, and it really helps with the spastisity.