Water is creepy; creepy as hell! Particularly if you don't have a taste for it.
I don't really have hydrophobia - I will tolerate, even enjoy, a spray if I'm on the sea. But I do not often go seeking water. I have lived all these years drinking less than a litre a day (though I now consciously drink more water than I used to). I hate the rain and will avoid a shower if I possibly can. (Give me a good old bucket bath any day!) I will sit on the beach, but more for the sun than the sea. I may have gone scuba diving once, but I bet even the instructor's wife never held him as tightly as I did.
So with that introduction, you can imagine how I felt when my physiotherapist suggested hydrotherapy. Have you ever stood in a pool and looked down? The ground looks unsteady, constantly moving; there is no sense of depth; you are being pushed off the floor; can't feel your own weight. Now imagine all of that when you have no natural balance; when your kinesthetic sense is just a bit off. And you are on a treadmill.
I dislocated my knee about 14 years ago, but didn't bother with any of the exercises my ortho suggested then. Many years, a few recurrences and some months of difficulty climbing steps later, I was scared enough to go back to my ortho, who then referred me to a physiotherapist for a patella realignment. I thought, "If I'm struggling now, what am I going to do in the next 50-60 years", given the curse of longevity that runs in my family.
After a few months of regular, on land, physiotherapy, just when I thought I was on my way to being back to good, I relapsed. We couldn't put a finger on what caused the relapse, but after a week of neglecting to do my exercises, I was back to shooting pains when I climbed stairs. To be honest, the only reason I skipped working on my knee that week was because I was travelling and did a lot of walking and stair climbing.
So when I went back to my physiotherapist, she suggested doing the exercises in water. The impact on my knee would be less, she said, but the effect the same. Hydrotherapy once a week and I continue my exercises on land the rest of the week. Since it was biting the bullet and getting my feet wet now versus wondering when I'll stop being able to move in the next 50 years, I agreed to go with the plan.
Getting to therapy that day was a huge step in itself. I left home early so that I could pick up something appropriate to wear. It was when I was trying out various clothes and saw the beads of sweat roll down that I realised how nervous I was. I was getting into water after I don't know how many years.
It wasn't a deep pool - just 4.5ft, but I was a fish out of water. Once I got in, all I felt was the air being squeezed out of my lungs. I tried not to look down and focussed on following the instructions. Looking down made me dizzy. I don't know what effect the whole thing had on my knees, but by the time I was out, I had a backache from not letting go. And my legs were shaking.
My therapist seemed satisfied with my progress though and booked me for a session next week. Hopefully I can stay in the pool longer than 20 mins this time.
Wish me luck!
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