Mumbai: 2 new water therapy centres open, here's what to expect

A swim in the sea has cured far too many issues for this writer that popping pills couldnt The late paraplegic Superman actor Christopher Reeve could move his limbs under observation in water musician John Lennon was said to use a sensory deprivation tank to float away from his heroin use while footballer Wayne Rooney used flotation to overcome his injuries and make a comebackSeveral research papers have revealed the positive effects on a range of health issues ranging from multiple sclerosis cardio vascular health chronic pain PTSD or insomnia Mumbai seems to be warming up to the concept of water therapy in the past few years with aqua aerobics and Zumba being the most popular and accessible fitness routines in the categoryFor those looking to supplement their treatment while trying to ease the recovery process two new water therapy centres in the city might help Heres what to expectWe try out different exercises PicsSatej ShindeWater cureOn our visit to Aquacentric Therapy we notice patients of diverse age groups undergoing treatments While the three temperaturecontrolled warm indoor pools occupy a large area of the 7000 sq ft wheelchairaccessible centreIt has been designed as a holistic physiotherapy centre to cater to orthopaedic care neurology womens healthcare and paediatric care So they also have a medical gymnasium and an outdoor sensory pathway designed to help improve balance and focus on muscle strengthening What we like the most about the centre is that its uplifting with loads of natural light which according to us is crucial for any patientWe enter the pool after a quick change The lockers and shower room are sparkling clean The water in the pool has ozone and UV filters and does not smell of any chemicals which is a good sign Once inside the pool our therapist takes us through a basic set of exercises using sponge dumbbells and pool noodle which function on the principle of buoyancy Dont let the lightweight equipment fool you as it is designed to function underwater and works great for weighttraining exercises We love running on the treadmill so we also give resistance running a try on an underwater treadmillWe are told that the centre caters to cricketers and other sportsmen who come for private sessions For someone with low physical strength like us running underwater against the wave is a challenge but the good part is that we dont feel our muscles strain in the wrong way and are able to push ourselves to meet our goal One of the biggest benefits of training under water is that it increases the pain threshold and makes it easier for the expert to pinpoint the problem areasAfter we go through the basic exercises that a healthy person can try in water we get in the zone for a session of Watsu therapy This is a relaxation aquatic therapy where the treatment involves being cradled by a therapist who works on muscle movement while we close our eyes and surrender to the water and the expert In the halfhour session we sense that the expert deftly stretches our back muscles a problem area and the waist we enter a nearslumber state while being gently rotated in the warm poolAt the end of our session our mind is relaxed and our thoughts are clearer We dont feel any discomfort in any area and our fingers are noticeably closer to reaching our toes Given a choice after our experience we would ideally love to alternate between training in the gym and in water especially to aid the muscle recovery processTime 8 am to 8 pmAt Glory House off New Link Road Andheri WestCall 62841900Cost Rs 2500 for WatsuDigant Joshi and Puja AminGlow and beholdAN image of Eleven floating in a tub in Stranger Things comes to our mind when we sign up for a sensory deprivation floating session at Liquid Sanctuary It was started by Chirag Lilaramani in Delhi and has been brought to Mumbai by his friend Digant Joshi and wife Puja Amin Amin a yoga expert also runs The Movement Sanctuary in the premises One day I was badly hungover and wondered why dont we have these tanks in Mumbai Coincidently I found out that my friend Chirag had started this in Delhi and we decided to bring it to Mumbai says Joshi The company can also customdesign a tankThe therapy tank PicsSatej ShindeThe benefits of floating range from skin rejuvenation to alleviating issues related to arthritis blood pressure or asthma The Bandra centre has two tanks one is designed to resemble a log cabin and the second a beach house They use Epsom salt and add Dead Sea mud to treat the skin Once Joshi takes us through the process we get ready to start our session butt naked We switch off all the lights except for that of the tank which goes off 20 minutes into the session This is also when the music is switched off and you are left to yourself in pitch dark deprived of most of your senses As much as we thought this would be uncomfortable it isnt In fact we like it better when the music is off as we enter a complete Zen state we even doze off for a few minutesTheres an unconscious urge to itch our face which Joshi had warned us about and thats the only thing that distracts us Once the music comes on its our cue to step out Our body feels heavier frames of Sandra Bullock walking out of water in the film Gravity hit us in a flash This also makes us realise how we take our muscles for granted and ignore them Its best to check this out when you are tired which we were at the end of the working dayWe realise that the therapy helped us when the partner mentions that our skin looks brighter unaware of what we had signed up for The salts made our skin softer and our nagging neck and shoulder pain doesnt hurt much Would we try it again Absolutely as we are keen to know what two sessions of floating would do to our stressed out bodyTime 830 am to 10 pm they take requests for late nightsAt Pali Naka Bandra WestCall 7045103311Cost Rs 3500 plus taxes weekdays Rs 4000 plus taxes weekendsDoc speakWaters natural properties such as buoyancy and hydrostatic pressure help in making muscle movements smooth And since there are no jerky movements the chances of injury are less Those with a balance problem dont have a risk of falling and getting hurt in water If you pinch yourself outside water and then underwater the pain is lesser as the pain threshold increases in water So you can do several exercises in water without pain especially ones that you cant on ground This helps with spastic muscles in cases of neurological or muscular skeletal issues The mood of the patient is better in water and because of this they participate more One of our patients who is in fact a doctor had suffered a stroke and had severe balance issues After six sessions of balance training inside water we recorded his improvement by using a functional outcome measure which improved from 32 to 48 says Dr Amit Dhumale consultant and director neurological rehabilitation programme director Aqua Rehab Jupiter HospitalCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current 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