NEWS - A jog in the pool may spare sore joints

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A jog in the pool may spare sore joints

Last Updated: 2004-11-04 8:48:33 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Runners looking to ease their aching limbs

may want to move their act from dry land to the pool.

So-called deep-water running, exercise experts say, offers a low-impact

way for injured runners to stay in shape, as well as an alternative form

of exercise for anyone who needs a break from the punishing effects of

pounding the pavement.

Running is great for cardiovascular fitness, but every time a runner's

foot hits the ground, it creates a powerful force -- increasing the risk

of lower-body injuries. Deep-water running, performed with the help of a

flotation device, takes away the impact while keeping the cardio

benefit, according to Padilla Loupias, an exercise physiologist

at St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Nevada.

Runners whose injuries are keeping them off the road " can maintain their

training through deep-water running, " she told Reuters Health.

The technique requires a flotation device -- such as an " buoyancy " belt

or water " noodles " -- to keep the body upright while the water jogger

pumps his arms and legs. The only other necessity, Loupias noted, is

that that the water be deep enough that the runner's feet don't touch

bottom.

Writing in the American College of Sports Medicine's Health & Fitness

Journal, Loupias and colleague Dr. Lawrence A. Golding point to studies

that have shown deep-water running to be a challenging cardiovascular

workout, as long as the exerciser really goes at it.

" Several studies, " they note, " have reported that if deep-water running

is performed with adequate intensity cardiorespiratory fitness can be

maintained and even improved. " [

According to Loupias, this makes the activity not only a temporary

alternative for injured runners, but also a good addition to healthy

runners' regimens and an option for people who cannot stand the impact

of land running -- such as those who are overweight or have lower-back

pain or nerve damage in the feet.

How effective deep-water running is for weight loss in unknown, Loupias

said, but like any exercise, it beats sitting on the couch.

SOURCE: Health & Fitness Journal, September/October 2004.

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

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