U.S. Army Medical Department Activity-Japan began its new aqua therapy rehabilitation program at the Yano Fitness Center on Camp Zama!
Transcript
Have your doctor’s orders ever included jumping in the water, And soaking in a pool? This is Aquatherapy, a brand-new rehabilitation program the U.S. Army Medical Department Activity Japan introduced to the Camp Zama community a few months ago.
The program allows patients to be able to do exercises that normally they wouldn’t be able to do due to their pain, without the pool.
Patients suffering from injuries in their knees, hips, back and shoulders meet every Tuesday at the Yano Fitness Center Pool for an one hour long session.
It’s a lot easier in the water, but when you get out of the water and you try to do it there you feel more worked up.
Private First Class Jecelyn Alicantara has been experiencing pain in her knees. She has been taking part in the program for two months.
Maybe it’s just a slight difference the first time you come in here, but after a while it has improved a lot.
For me it’s my hip, so in the water I’m getting to do things that would be really, really, really painful if I tried to do them outside the water. In the water it’s only slightly painful, still difficult, but the water helps me to get it done.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 David Lightfoot talks about his goals for going through the program.
The reason why I’m doing this, is to get back to doing full PT tests, to get fully mission capable and improve my readiness.
Medic Japan says the program has already received a lot of positive feedback from his patients.
It gives them a little bit of a better understanding of their body as well. Initially they thought that they weren’t going to be able to do, because of the pain that they were experiencing without the water. Where I introduced the water pool therapy to them they were able to pick their legs up as high as they can.
I wanna keep on going until I’m better, until Dr. G, our physical therapist she says “Hey, you’re good to go”.
Dr. Gandionco also know as Dr. G at the B.G. Crawford F. Sams Clinic on Camp Zama is one of the main coordinators of the Aquatherapy Program.
They have to see me first, I have to do evaluation and make sure they are appropriate too, and their gonna benefit from the Aquatherapy Program. It is open for everybody, but especially for soldiers.
Reporting for U.S. Army Garrison Japan, I am Ayako Watsuji.