Take the plunge at Pelino APC
The Pelino Athletic Performance Centre’s opening of its aqua therapy and elite performance pools has met with rave revues.
“They love it. It is a great experience and everyone has been very happy with the results they have seen,” Pelino APC operations director Laura Micevic said.
“We have had a handful of patients in the pools right now and we have some who have been waiting for the pools to open for awhile based on their injury history and condition. We have been waiting for them to be able to walk (on the underwater treadmills) and get that confidence because for someone who has a significant lower body injury, the fear of falling is very high and that is where the benefit of having the treadmills in the water allows them the security of being able to walk in rehab. If they fall, they just float and there is no risk of more injury to them.”
The pools, the only ones in Niagara, are part of a state-of-the-art, 10,000-square foot facility at Unit 5, 9515 Montrose Rd. in Niagara Falls.
The main difference between the therapy and performance pool is the temperature of the water. The therapy pool is kept at 90-92 degrees (Fahrenheit) so there’s less shock, it’s easier for the patients and they can stay in the water longer. The performance pool is at 80 degrees so athletes can work harder without overheating.
At the back of the therapy pool, there is space to do aquatic exercises but the main function is to get gait and movement going for those who are unable to walk on dry land efficiently throughout their rehab.
“The ideal candidate for the underwater treadmills is anyone who has any lower body injury: knees; ankles; hips; lower back pain; anything post-surgical once they have clearance (from their doctor) and their wound is completely healed. It offloads 80 per cent of their body weight by being underwater and buoyant. They can get that movement without the impact or pressure on the joints.”
To utilize the therapy pool, clients get a full assessment from the centre’s physiotherapists and it becomes part of their treatment plan.
“Depending on the level or the nature of the injury, someone would go in the water with them or they are guided through their program if that is the recommendation.”
There is a lift available to help clients with accessibility issues to enter and exit the pools.
The performance pool is the same design as the therapy pool but it is smaller and, as mentioned, the temperature is kept a little cooler.
“You can run on a treadmill or do a high performance swim against the current without overheating,” Micevic said.
She expects the typical user of the performance pool will be anyone from a triathlete training for an event or any athlete doing active recovery, who wants to run and exercise without impact on the joints and offloading on the knees.
“It’s the same benefits as the aqua therapy pool just with a little bit more intensive state so they can work a little bit harder without disrupting any other people in the pool with waves or rippling or changing the intensity of the current they are fighting against.”
Both pools are equipped with underwater cameras.
“It can be used by swim coaches who are looking at underwater mechanics that they can see because we have the capacity to have the cameras cast it to TVs in the facility. For others, we can see what exactly your body is doing underwater whether it is gait, walking on the treadmill exercises, or full swimming.”
High performance athletes or coaches looking to use the performance pool can contact the centre for more information.
“We are running a special right now for the spring where it’s essentially a $1 a minute charge so you can have a half-hour aquatic experience in our facility for only $30.”
The centre is also offering an infrared sauna and cold plunge combination for $30 as a way to get everyone in to try it out.
The facility has two cold plunge tubs, one set at 42 degrees and the other at 50 degrees.
“We have one that is cold and one that is really, really cold and they have a lot of health benefits,” Micevic said.
The centre is the only Niagara facility that has cold tubs that are inspected by public health which is why it took awhile to get started because public health had no previous experience with the equipment.
“There is a lot of research out there right now that shows the effectiveness of starting your recovery experience with a 20-minute infrared sauna followed immediately by a cold plunge,” she said. “Essentially you are looking to shock your system.”
The combination can also be used as therapy.
“Both have therapeutic benefits depending on the case specifics to be determined by our clinicians or you can choose to do it from a wellness/recovery experience.”
