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With Temperatures soaring, a swim can be a refreshing way to exercise. But for those with arthritis and other ailments, swimming is sometimes the only way to stay in shape and find relief.

Exercise professionals recommend swimming because it provides a total-body, low- impact workout involving all major muscle groups with a very low risk of injury to the joints and connective tissues. At the same time, the heart and lungs are treated to anaerobic and aerobic workouts, which helps with weight control, blood pressure and stress reduction.

Aquatic therapy utilizes the physical properties of water — buoyancy and viscosity — to help patients recover from surgery, injury or neurological disorders. The resistance applied to the muscles during aquatic exercise improves muscle strength with low impact on the joints compared with regular gym exercises.

Swimming in water with a temperature of 93-95 degrees promotes relaxation of muscles and helps decrease pain, says Valerie Skoog, a physical therapist with the University of Colorado Hospital. "Buoyancy supports body weight, which is helpful to those with arthritis or with other joint disorders; viscosity creates resistance, which allows for improvements in strength," she says. The hospital also has an underwater treadmill, which is used for neurological motor relearning and gait retraining.

Those who have received organ transplants often use swimming as part of their rehabilitation and even become competitors in the sport.

Lyn Goldstine, 70, had a liver transplant in 1995 and, over the past three years, three corneal and five knuckle and bone transplants. Last year she had a stroke. "When I turned 70 I thought I should compete in something I never competed in before," said Goldstine. "So I decided I will wear a Speedo one time."

It was the perfect exercise for her. "I overcame a lot of fears by getting into the water because I have peripheral neuropathy (numbness in the legs) from all the medications; swimming helps me feel steady and secure," Goldstine says. "I would do a couple of strokes at a time until I could make it all the way down the pool." She recently competed in the 25-meter freestyle for women over 70.

Keith Ashby, 56, used to swim in high school and got back into it to help the arthritis that developed as a result of kidney problems.

"Everything was painful; but swimming does not hurt, and it is a total-body exercise program," Ashby says. Since his kidney transplant, he trains in running, racquetball and biking, as well as swimming, which he uses to help with conditioning for his other sports.

Dr. Michael Wachs, a transplant surgeon at University Hospital, says that swimming is a great tool because it's low-impact. "Osteoporosis and loss of muscle are common with liver and kidney failure," he says. "When the body cannot tolerate weightlifting or running, swimming is the best rehab you can do. "

Those with arthritis also find water exercise beneficial. The Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program includes full-body workouts offered year round. The ability to swim is not required — participants walk in water and perform other exercises designed to increase strength and endurance.

"Many water-aerobics programs are too much impact for those with arthritis because, even though it is in the water, there is still a lot of jumping," says Kathy Jensen, program director for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation.
Swimming involves all major muscle groups with very low risk of injury to the joints and connective tissues. And for those who can't swim, other aquatic exercises offer many of the same benefits. (Jupiterimages)
"Also, the pool temperatures that are best for people with arthritis range from 83 to 88 degrees. Most pools are much cooler than that."

Delaina Allen, 41, who works at Lockheed Martin, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis last year. Her schedule didn't mesh with the classes being offered by the Arthritis Foundation, so she started an evening class and became a certified instructor in order to keep it going two to three times a week.

"It took a couple of months, but where I was barely able to walk or even put my arms over my head at the beginning, I progressed to being able to swim 2 miles," she says. Allen is now able to enjoy land-based aerobic activity and competes in bodybuilding contests.

Florence Munter, 56, an environmental scientist who has rheumatoid arthritis, has been involved with the Arthritis Foundation's aquatic program since it began here in 1984. "The aquatic program has allowed me to regain some level of fitness." says Munter, who's a national trainer for the program. "Consistent participation can maintain muscular strength, range of motion and stamina; and over time can improve each, which helps overall health."

For many adults who enjoyed competing as adolescents or teens, the Masters Swim program is a great way to continue training and competing for decades. All that's required is that participants be over age 18 and want to improve their fitness through swimming. You can join as a dedicated competitor or just as someone who enjoys the workouts.

Victoria Chidester, 51, uses swimming as a mental and physical refuge from the stress and rigors of the chemotherapy she is taking. "I am passionate about swimming. It is as much a part of my therapy as my chemo treatments," Chidester says. "Since I was a swimmer from age 9, it keeps a high degree of normalcy in my life that is not just medical." Chidester competed in four events at the U.S. Masters Short Course Nationals in Austin, Texas, in May. Her doctors and nurses believe that her activity level in swimming has kept her blood counts in the normal range in spite of the chemo.

"The thing about swimming is that, even when I am fatigued, it is not difficult to exercise in the water; I can kick, pull, float and enjoy all kinds of variety without jeopardizing my joints," she says. "The swimming can be gentle or strenuous, which makes swimming the ideal sport, regardless of ability or disability."