The Therapeutic Benefits of Scuba Diving

One of the most unique things about scuba diving is that it transports you to an environment that is unlike just about any other environment on earth. Here, we don’t just mean the view of marine life that you are exposed to during a dive. We mean that scuba diving lessens the pull that gravity has on us. It allows you to float weightlessly almost as if you were in space. And it is precisely that characteristic that makes scuba diving helpful for those who require some form of physiotherapy. Here are some ways that scuba diving, with the proper precautions in place, can be helpful to people – such as quadriplegics, etc.

• Eases stress: The deep and steady breathing required when a person scubas can cause divers to go into a very relaxing and almost meditative state. This can help control stress which can have all kinds of adverse effects on the body. Injured veterans and others who suffer from stress as result of their condition find this result of scuba diving very beneficial.
• Improves fitness: The repetitive movement of the legs and the fact that you are swimming in a near weightless atmosphere helps the body build up resistance to the water. This kind of steady, careful exercise has been shown to aid quadriplegics in particular.
• Can ease pain: Not all pain is relieved by scuba diving, but those suffering from some forms of physical injury have found that the sport helps with such things as lowering muscle spasticity.

The Future of Scuba as Physiotherapy 

There are many professional organizations from around the world and tons of research that prove scuba diving helps people suffering from certain physical impairments, e.g., spinal injuries, loss of limbs, and so on. This number is rising yearly as many dive instructors have witnessed firsthand a sort of transformation that occurs when people with certain injuries are exposed to the calm, weightlessness of the ocean.

A study published in the Journal of Disability and Rehabilitation under the title: ‘Can scuba diving offer therapeutic benefit to military veterans experiencing physical and psychological injuries as a result of combat?’ concludes that scuba diving is remarkably valuable as a form of physiotherapy for injured veterans. Thus, it is comforting for those of us who love the sport simply to also know that it can help those who are suffering from certain impairments. Our certified PADI instructor in Maui will be happy to work with you regardless of why you have decided to join us on one of our Maui scuba tours.