10
Please review verbally and visually
water exercise modifications plus 'no-no's'
for client population with injuries, pregnancy, etc.

This is a huge question!

It is way beyond my expertise, or what I could write for you. The question is too global. There are so many different injuries. Each injury could require different modifications. Pregnancy is another whole subject! As a water exercise instructor, you are usually working with general guidelines and precautions. Unless you are qualified to do so, you must not do any diagnosis or exercise prescription. That means you should not start sentences with, "You should do such and such……………." Instead, you may say, "the general guidelines for this condition suggest such and such……………" Be careful, because it is so easy to step across that line, especially when water classes are full of injured people! I always respect the fact that my adults will take care of themselves, and at the same time I will take care of them. If a client says they have a bad knee, but cannot tell me any more about it, I will explain what the water will do as a resistance around the knee. If they have pain on land, the water resistance may increase that pain. On the other hand, if I put the client in deep water, we may decrease that pain. I provide the information about the effects of water, and then together we decide if the class is suitable for this person. During class, I check regularly with this client…….."how does your knee feel?" I may, as I announce certain tasks, say, "Bob, be careful with this move. It may not feel right for your knee." It doesn't sound very good, does it? But, our reality is that we are often working with very limited information from our clients, so you have to take small educated steps and constantly check for feedback..

Here are some teaching tips and reminders:

  • Always tell your class what is happening in the workout, and announce changes before they happen

  • Know your anatomy and movement analysis for all the primary joints and muscles involved in the exercises you include

  • Pay particular attention to the ball and socket joints

  • Know the ways you could hurt a healthy body in water: water is a load on the body, so joints get stressed by this resistance, and if a joint is placed in a compromised position to receive this load, it can get hurt. For example, loaded shoulder abduction; loaded hip flexors with pelvis in anterior pelvic tilt.

 
  • Be able to explain to clients what each exercise is going to provide

  • Give constant reminders to 'listen to your own body'

  • Apply the 2-hour pain rule:
    If you experience pain 2 hours after the class, you overdid it

  • Don't do an exercise if it causes pain

  • Understand and teach neutral postural alignment. Cue it constantly.

  • Teach everyone as an individual
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