Water...what is its connection to relieving our pain? Is there a connection? Well, a few weeks ago, while visiting my knowledgeable primary care physician, Dr. Maziar Zamani, we proceeded to have a very interesting conversation on the topic. When he heard of my new job writing blogs for Premier Aquatics, he really wanted to share the amazing benefits of water for fibromyalgia pain so that I could in turn share through my blog to others. Dr Zamani’s interest has always been for the benefit of the patient whether it directly benefits him or not. As he spoke, he basically confirmed medically what my husband and friends who have fibromyalgia have known intuitively from experience. That is, that being in water helps alleviate the all over body aches and pains associated with fibromyalgia.
As to why this happens Dr. Zamani gave some intriguing ideas to consider. First of all, we as human beings existed comfortably for nine months in a world of water before we were even born. Not only that, our bodies are made up mostly of water. In fact, according to this article, “Up to 60% of the human adult body is water. According to H.H. Mitchell, Journal of Biological Chemistry 158, the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79%, and even the bones are watery: 31%.”(usgs.gov) Is it any wonder that we feel better and “at home” when we are in water’s calming embrace?
When Covid hit back in March of 2020, I told my husband that we needed to buy him an above ground exercise pool as soon as possible so that he could continue to do his early morning pool workouts before work. My husband has fibromyalgia and we both knew that it would mean a world of pain for him if he did not have access to a pool. (We didn’t know back then that chlorine and sunlight killed the virus in swimming pools.) So, without even knowing the scientific evidence of water for fibromyalgia pain, we invested in a small pool.
All we knew was that whenever my husband went into the water, even just for twenty minutes, he felt better. This would include the swimming pool, bath water and even the ocean. A short amount of time in the water was enough to make a difference, it wasn’t even necessary for him to be swimming. Even just standing in the water doing resistance type movements made him feel so much better. So one does not even need to be able to swim to gain the healing benefits of water! What my husband discovered on his own is also reinforced in this article which states that,“Studies from Spain indicate that water aerobics improves quality of life for women with fibromyalgia pain in the long-term . . . They also had less fibromyalgia pain and more vitality . . . You don’t need to know how to swim for a water exercise class. In some classes, you work out in shallow water with your head completely above water. In other water aerobic classes, you bob in deep water (with foam belt or life jacket). (WebMD)
This experience with healing water was also confirmed by an older neighbor of ours. She recently shared with me that because of COVID she was unable to go to the pool and therefore ended up in a great amount of pain this past year. She said that on days that she was able to access the pool she could walk and be pain free for hours. Amazingly, her fibromyalgia was also managed by being in the water just like my husband’s! She experienced the healing effects of water but unfortunately also experienced what happens with the lack of it. Thankfully, she is making plans to enter the pools again.
I love that this type of relief and healing is accessible to all...old, young, swimmers and non-swimmers. Having less pain means taking less medications and enjoying a more active and fulfilling life. What a great natural way to relieve pain! I’m so thrilled to be part of a company that offers this type of healing opportunity to its community. So if you or someone you know could benefit from some water therapy, come on down to one of our beautiful pools! It’s never too late to start feeling better and living better too!