36 | Akwa | March / April / May 2023 Never again will I be helping someone rehab a knee problem using theory only. I have lived through the recovery of a severe knee injury. I now know what it’s like to be on a walker for over four months, and work for range of motion, mobility, and strength for nearly three years to regain the full function of my knee. When people tell me the story of their knee injuries or surgeries, I now have the voice of authority speaking when I tell them, “I really know what you’re going through. And, yes, you can get stronger, fitter, and get back to your life no matter what your age.” Even though I wrote a book with my friend, orthopedic surgeon Robert Klapper, MD, titled Heal Your Knees, I knew only ideas. Theories. Now I know what it’s like to heal a knee from the inside out. Knee injuries are common in our classes. We need to know how to offer exercises at the low end of the impact spectrum to protect our least capable students while at the same time providing appropriate exercises for all other fitness levels, up to the high end. As you teach students in each category of fitness, you need to feel confident introducing small gradient steps carefully and moving gradually to the higher levels. Yes, experience comes in handy, but there are also some basic rules to follow. 1. Whether the class is in deep or shallow water, put a flotation belt on any student who comes to your class complaining of knee pain or who is limping (showing you there is knee pain). 2. Space your students in the class so that those with the most pain and least mobility are together on one side of the pool, your medium level students in the middle, and higher-level students on the opposite side. Once you get to know all the students, you won’t need that help, but it’s a good way to start if you’re suddenly working with 20 or more unfamiliar students. 3. Avoid pivots and anything else that applies rotational force onto the knee. 4. If an exercise hurts, don’t do it yet. In fact, you can eliminate all exercises that bend the knee and perform a straight-leg program as a safe place to start. Believe it or not, you’ll find nearly 20 exercises in my program that are part of a straight-leg program. 5. Add resistance equipment gradually, from performing the exercises with no equipment, to the least resistant, up to the most powerful pieces. For the stron- gest students, you can add two resistance pieces to each leg, one facing forward and one facing backward. All along the continuum from severely injured to top performing athlete, there are appropriate pool exercises that help move the injured toward fitness, and the fit up to super fit. AUTHOR Lynda Huey is one of AEA’s amazing IAFTC 2023 Presenters. Click here to find out more about Lynda and the sessions she is offering. Knees, Knees, Knees: Fitness & Rehab Programs By Lynda Huey Many scientific articles are available to the public on different platforms. I would suggest that you try a search on the PUBMED website, for example, regarding a topic that you have inter- est. Use keywords such as “aquatic exercise” and “obesity or pregnancy, or elderly, etc. There are many arti- cles, and initially you may feel over- whelmed, but you don’t need to be an expert to understand the main mes- sage of each study, which you can find in the conclusion tab of the abstract. After gaining more insight, consider the list of goals. Based on exercise guide- lines and training methodology, you can organize general and specific goals throughout the sessions. Start from macro to micro. For example, set the goals for the training season (possibly 6 months), then for 2 months, for each month, for every two-week period, and finally for each class. This is the general concept of periodization. It is now possible to design the classes. For each class, you may establish a main goal and two or three second- ary ones. It may seem like planning is coming to an end, but there’s still a long way to go! You need to choose the methodology, exercises, and class strategies. When a person watches an aquatic exercise class, they can’t imagine the investment and hard work required to prepare the pro- gram. Instructors can add value to the aquatic exercise modality by dedicat- ing more time to class planning and design and, in turn, be recognized as excellent professionals. RESOURCES Email [email protected] for a listing of article resources. AUTHOR Flávia Yázigi is one of AEA’s amazing IAFTC 2023 Presenters. Click here to find out more about Flávia and the sessions she is offering. Continued from page 35
