In The News: March 2007

Hot Tub Council Study Praises Warm Water Therapy

A recent study, funded by the Hot Tub Council (HTC) of the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals, found that patients who had undergone totalknee-replacement surgery and incorporated warm-water exercise into their treatment returned to normal knee function sooner. The study also found that patients had an improved range of motion, as well as less pain and swelling throughout the recovery process compared to those who did not use warm-water therapy.

The HTC provided a $50,000 grant to the Foundation for Physical Therapy (FPT) to conduct the study. Richard McAvoy, a physical therapist in Somersworth, N.H., created two groups of 30 people who had undergone unilateral total-knee arthroplasties. One group participated in water-based therapy in a pool heated to 92 degrees Fahrenheit, while the other participated in only land-based physical therapy. McAvoy measured range of motion, pain, swelling and functional status.

The HTC and FPT plan to conduct more studies on the positive impact of water exercise in conjunction with land exercise and submit the findings to the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy or the Physical Therapy Journal in 2007. 

Atlantic City Show A Success

The Northeast Spa and Pool Association's Atlantic City Pool & Spa Show marked its 26th anniversary in January. The show, held from Jan. 23-25 at the Atlantic City Convention Center, had a total attendance of 12,530 — 3,500 exhibit personnel and 9,030 attendees. The record 130,000 square feet of exhibit space hosted 466 exhibiting companies, also a record number. "The Atlantic City Pool & Spa Show, in continuing our growth, broke last year's exhibitor records and attendance was only slightly lower than last year's all-time high," says show chairman and NESPA vice president Steven Metz, president of Central Jersey Pools, Freehold, N.J.

Metz credited NESPA staff and volunteers for the success of the show. "It is an honor to work with such a well-organized staff and volunteers on the Atlantic City Pool & Spa Show," he says. "It comes off looking so easy, no one realized how much planning and work goes on behind the scenes."