Technique

In the past decade, widespread interest has developed in the area of aquatic therapy. It has rapidly become a popular rehabilitation technique among sports therapists. Aquatic therapy is beneficial in the treatment of everything from orthopaedic injuries to spinal cord damage, chronic pain, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and many other conditions, making it useful in a variety of settings.

Water healing techniques have been traced back through history as early as 2400 B.C., but it was not until the late nineteenth century that more traditional water exercise types of aquatic therapy came into existence. The development of the Hubbard tank in 1920 sparked the initiation of present-day therapeutic water exercise by allowing aquatic therapy to be conducted in a highly controlled, clinical setting. Loeman and Roen took this a step further in 1924 and stimulated actual pool therapy interest. Only recently, however, has water come into its own as a therapeutic exercise medium.

Aquatic therapy is believed to be successful because it lowers pain levels by decreasing joint compression forces. The perception of weightlessness experienced in the water seems to eliminate or drastically reduce the body's protective muscular guarding. This effect results in decreased muscular spasm and pain that may carry over into the patient's daily functional activities. The primary goal of aquatic therapy is to teach the athlete how to use water as a modality for improving movement and fitness. Then, along with other therapeutic modalities and treatments, aquatic therapy can become one more link in the athlete's recovery chain.

3.1. Listen to the text “Aquatic Therapy – a Popular Rehabilitation Technique”.

3.2. Read and translate the text.

3.3. Find in the text English equivalents for the following:

еще одно звено в цепи оздоровительных мероприятий спортсмена; наряду

с; хорошая физическая форма; любая форма терапевтического воздействия; основная цель; снижать/сокращать защитную фиксацию мышц; радикально/ значительно; уничтожать; ощущение/осознание; невесомость; бак; испытывать; верить/полагать; понижать уровень боли/болевого порога; пациент; давление, оказываемое на суставы; недавно; физическое средство терапевтического воздействия; получить должное; в контролируемых клинических условиях; предпринять дальнейший шаг; проводить; зажигать/побуждать; введение/ учреждение; до нашей эры; техника водолечения; прослеживаются на протяжении истории; возникать/появляться; за последнее десятилетие; быстро; благотворный; возник большой интерес; ортопедические травмы; повреждение спинного мозга; церебральный паралич; рассеянный склероз; приносить пользу в различных состояниях; хронические боли

3.4. Answer the questions to the text.

1. When has an interest developed in the area of aquatic therapy? 2. Which

settings can aquatic therapy be useful? 3. Did people know about water healing techniques in the past? 4. What sparked the initiation of present-day therapeutic water exercise? 5. When has water come into its own and become a therapeutic exercise medium? 6. Why is aquatic therapy believed to be successful? 7. What may drastically reduce the body's protective muscular guarding? 8. What is the primary goal of aquatic therapy?

Milk jugs used for resistance

3.5. Open the brackets and use the verbs in a proper tense form.