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Health

Back exercises in the pool

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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Back exercises in the pool are a great opportunity to develop muscles with minimal load, but excellent results. Let's look at the most effective exercises for the back and spine with scoliosis and osteochondrosis.

Exercises in water help to restore damaged muscles and vertebrae with minimal loads. That is, water is an ideal environment for developing the spine, since the pressure and load on the intervertebral discs are minimal. In addition, when exercising in water, the movements are smoother, since the water provides resistance. This allows you to relax and work out all the muscles that support the back.

Back exercises in the pool, like any therapeutic and preventive complex, must be performed after the acute period of the disease has passed. Exercises in water are the most effective way to eliminate back pain. And most importantly, patients of any age can do training in the pool. During back exercises, there is an optimal and uniform load on the spine and the musculoskeletal system as a whole.

It is recommended to start therapeutic exercises with a professional trainer who will create a program for quick and effective recovery. Let's look at several exercises that are recommended for the recovery of an injured back.

  1. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and slowly spread your arms to the sides, bending your shoulder blades as much as possible. It is recommended to perform the exercise up to your neck in water, doing three sets of 10 times.
  2. Move your hands back and interlock your fingers. Slowly lift your hands up and return them to the starting position. It is recommended to perform the exercise in three to four sets of 10-15 times.
  3. Enter the pool up to your waist, slowly walk along the bottom of the pool and make circular movements with your arms. This exercise can be done as a warm-up or in between other exercises.
  4. Raise your arms up, put them behind your head, put your feet shoulder-width apart and lie down on the water. The "star" pose allows you to tone all the muscles of your back.
  5. Move to shallow water and lie down on the bottom, having previously squeezed the rubber ball with your feet. Rest your hands on the bottom and slowly lift your legs above the water and lower them into the water. The body should be in the plank position. This exercise must be done under the supervision of an instructor.

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Pool exercises for the spine

Pool exercises for the spine are a set of therapeutic exercises that can help restore the musculoskeletal system after injuries or illnesses. Exercises can be done in a hot water pool or a regular swimming pool. The advantage of water therapeutic exercises is that a person becomes weightless in water, meaning that the spine does not feel heavy loads. But at the same time, water is a counteraction that increases as the pace of the exercises accelerates. Fast movements are difficult to do underwater, and slow ones are resisted. This means that pool exercises for the spine are suitable for people with any level of physical fitness.

In order to make the exercises in the pool more productive, you can use fins and other additional equipment, as this will only increase the resistance of the water. The only rule that must be followed when doing the exercises is to avoid hypothermia. Exercises are prohibited in case of infectious and inflammatory diseases in the presence of wounds, scratches and cuts, as this will cause pain and discomfort. Let's look at several exercises that can be used for the spine when doing exercises in the pool.

  1. This exercise is recommended to be done in a pool with stretchers, i.e. ropes that separate the swimming lanes. You need to lie on your back on the stretcher, arms extended above your head, and your legs should lie on the water. Thanks to this exercise, the thoracic spine and muscles that are stretched but not involved in the work of the musculoskeletal system are perfectly worked out. A couple of minutes of stretching is an excellent prevention of stoop and scoliosis, as well as treatment of spinal curvatures.
  2. This exercise is aimed at toning the muscles of the spine. Lie down between the stretchers of the pool, that is, across the swimming lane. Hold onto the rope with your hands and put your feet on the stretcher. Try to keep your back straight, gradually tensing all the muscles. This exercise can also be done on your stomach, but only with a mask or if you can hold your breath for a long time.
  3. Another exercise that will help to relax pinched muscles of the spine. Legs and feet should be on the edge of the pool, and the pelvis should touch the edge. At the same time, the back lies on the water, arms are spread out to the sides. Close your eyes and relax.

Pool exercises for osteochondrosis

Exercises in the pool for osteochondrosis help to relieve painful sensations and eventually get rid of them completely. When treating osteochondrosis in the pool, regular swimming shows particular effectiveness. This allows you to develop and fix the correct position of the back-shoulder spine. In addition, with the help of swimming, the spinal column is corrected, if there are deformations. With osteochondrosis, both active and passive exercises are effective and efficient.

  • Passive exercises are performed for neurological disorders, joint deformations, post-traumatic disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Exercises are performed at a slow pace with support for the range of motion. Passive exercises in the pool involve working with a professional rehabilitation therapist. The doctor fixes the patient's body and helps perform the exercises. As a rule, an individual training program is developed for osteochondrosis.
  • Active exercises are performed if the functional state of the patient's muscles allows the use of additional loads. During the exercises, various starting positions are used (sitting, lying on the water, standing), special equipment (floats, water dumbbells) and gymnastic equipment that is effective in the treatment and prevention of osteochondrosis (handrails in the water, gymnastic walls).

Exercises for osteochondrosis in the pool involve the use of additional physical loads on the muscular-articular apparatus. For this, accelerated movements are used, combining exercises in the pool with loads outside the water, that is, a strength contrast. Special devices help to achieve a positive effect in the treatment of osteochondrosis: fins (hand and foot), water foam dumbbells, trapezes and much more.

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Pool exercises for scoliosis

Pool exercises for scoliosis are a therapeutic and preventive complex that is developed specifically for patients, taking into account the individual characteristics of the disease. The most effective method of treating scoliosis is swimming. The benefit of swimming is that it is not traumatic and protects the musculoskeletal system from the stress that occurs when exercising in the gym. In addition to the main task, swimming for scoliosis reduces tone, allows you to work out and stretch all the muscles, provides high joint mobility and increases metabolism.

The peculiarity of exercises for the back with scoliosis is that training should be carried out every other day, the duration of the lesson should be about an hour or more. The ideal water temperature in the pool is +25-28 degrees Celsius. The exercises themselves should be carried out under the supervision of a rehabilitation specialist or a doctor who deals with the therapeutic and physical training complex. Let's consider the most effective exercises in the pool for scoliosis.

  1. Starting position: standing, hands holding the side or handrails, legs together. Hold your breath and lower your head into the water so that your chin touches your body, while exhaling straighten your legs, lift them up and return to the starting position.
  2. For scoliosis, exercises such as swimming on the back with two arms, swimming on the back, arms alternately, breaststroke, crawl and butterfly are effective. Alternating and regularly performing such exercises allows you to quickly and effectively restore the musculoskeletal system.
  3. It is recommended to finish the set of exercises with stretching on ropes in the pool and breathing exercises.

Please note that pool exercises for scoliosis are completely consistent with aqua aerobics training. That is, if you want to restore beautiful posture and back health, you do not necessarily need to contact a professional trainer, you can go to aqua aerobics, warning the instructor about the presence of scoliosis.

Pool exercises for the back are an effective and efficient method of restoring the musculoskeletal system. Exercises can be performed both with a professional instructor and independently by the patient, according to a pre-prepared exercise plan. The peculiarity of training in water is that all muscles are maximally worked out, but at the same time they are not subject to the load, as when exercising in a gym. The pool is used for the treatment and prevention of diseases and injuries of the spine, scoliosis and osteochondrosis.

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