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I have hip and knee arthritis. Many of my friends go to a pool program sponsored by the Arthritis Foundation. I'm already working out on my own. Would a pool therapy program help me more than doing exercises at the gym?

Experts say that pool therapy has several advantages over a land-based exercise program. For one thing, the buoyancy of the water helps take the load off your joints.

Many people with arthritis are able to move and perform exercises in the pool that are too difficult on land. Pain and stiffness are reduced in the warm water making it even more likely that someone with arthritis can move and exercise more freely.

The water itself can act as resistance for you when you're ready to progress your program. Doing exercises in shallow water offers less resistance compared with exercising in deeper water. By increasing the percentage of your body immersed in the water, you can increase the resistance accordingly.

Despite all the obvious advantages of pool therapy, many studies have compared aquatic based exercise programs with land-based programs. The evidence does not support one over the other. Each one has its own advantages. Both are better than not exercising at all. Perhaps a combination of the two will give the best results of all. More studies are needed to answer this question.

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