Anita Quinn has fitness goals, but you won’t find her shrieking about them on any infomercial. If she’s fortunate enough to see a grandchild or two come down the pike, Quinn just wants to be strong enough to hold on tight.

Watching her move intently within Harrison Hospital’s state-of-the-art rehabilitation pool, Quinn wouldn’t seem anything other than bright, vibrant and in the very pink of health. But following more than 20 years of work in mail service, the Bremerton resident suffers from major shoulder problems. As a result, Quinn has had two rotator-cuff surgeries. Complicating her recovery from the operations was not a lack of resolve, but outright pain. Physical therapy hurt.

• Healing Waters

According to Gary McFarland, RPT, physical problems like aching joints can compromise the best-intentioned exercise plan. The pool offers a number of advantages over land, and permits comfortable therapy for people who might otherwise be idle. “The warm water decreases pain and encourages muscles to relax. And the almost weightless environment relieves force on the extremities and spine,” says McFarland.

Water therapy is generally advised when a patient simply isn’t making much progress on land. Seniors with such chronic conditions as fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis often find the pool a much more forgiving environment. But eventually, therapists stress, people have to return to life out of the water. “Exercising in the water can promote joint mobility and continue the person’s success out of the pool,” McFarland adds. He is a member of Harrison Silverdale’s rehab staff.

• Intensity Varies

Melanie Jo Olson, RPT, also praises aquatic exercise; she works with patients ranging in age from 1 to 94. “For some it’s their very first experience with aquatic therapy. Usually, once I get them in the pool, they don’t want to leave.” Therapists also find it easier to move people into position in the water. The usual courses of such therapy run from four to eight weeks, Olson says.

People’s objections to the pool run the gamut. “Those who are already exceptionally fit sometimes don’t realize the degree of benefit. But water can offer a very demanding work-out – it just depends on what you do,” she says. Another issue is just the exposure – many individuals really hate to put themselves in swimsuits, Olson explains. “But they don’t have to. We encourage shorts, T-shirts, even dresses – whatever makes them comfortable.”

• Aquatic Martial Arts

A longtime water baby herself and the mother of a burgeoning swim star, Olson teaches Tai Chi. This Japanese form of exercise stresses relaxation, breathing techniques and balance in the water.

No matter which form of therapy you choose, make sure your instructor is experienced and suits your exercise style, Olson urges. “They should be patient and know what to do if you have an existing injury. Otherwise it is possible to so harm yourself in the early phases of an exercise regimen that you don’t continue for months. That is about the worst outcome imaginable.”.