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A healing plunge
Ruwanthi Herat Gunaratne speaks to renowned Sri Lankan coach Jan Prins on aqua therapy

Jan Prins above and top left, conducting a video workshop for swimmers in Colombo

Casually dressed in tropical shirt, internationally known coach Dr. Jan Prins looks very much the part of a Hawaiian swimmer. "I was initially a swimmer and subsequently a swimming coach," smiles this Sri Lankan born Associate Professor and Director of the Biomechanics Laboratory of the University of Hawaii who is now into another water-related field, that of aqua therapy.

In his schooldays at Royal College, Colombo, the young Jan Prins was an enthusiastic swimmer. Having hit the water at the age of ten, swimming soon became a part of his destiny. "I swam and played water polo for college," he smiles. On leaving school he began to coach, "and that's where the thirst for knowledge all began".

After just two years of coaching he decided that he needed to know more. In 1969, he left Sri Lanka for California to study biomechanics. "As a coach and swimmer I understood the importance of movement in any sport."

Golf, tennis and swimming have one thing in common; they are all learned sports, he explains. "You may be blessed with a natural talent but these are sports which have to be constantly evaluated; without the proper movement patterns all talent goes to waste."

A nationally ranked swimmer and water polo player prior to leaving Sri Lanka, he has coached at the highest level of competitive swimming in the United States. "One of the most memorable coaching assignments was from 1974 to 1978, where I was the Assistant Coach at the Indiana University under the legendary Doc Counsilman," he recalls.

With his coaching days taking a back seat, Dr. Prins is now into aqua therapy. He and his wife run "Prins Aqua Therapy", a centre for physical rehabilitation. His study of motion gave rise to the interest. "Motion figures in every activity, whatever it may be. By analyzing these movements we are able to improve performance," he says going on to explain how this applies to physical rehabilitation.

Another branch of the subject deals with a person's movements in his/her workplace. "This is known as ergonomics and deals with how a person sits, stands and picks up or lifts objects in his workplace." It was when physics and anatomy were put together that these relatively new sciences came about.

Aqua therapy deals with physical therapy that takes place in the water. According to Dr. Prins this new concept was pioneered 15 years ago but remained a relatively unexplored area in the United States. "It was a new form of therapy that was specialized and effective," he says.

Hydrotherapy was always a part of rehabilitation. "What has happened now is that hydrotherapy deals with therapy associated with whirlpools etc and aqua therapy has taken on a much wider scope."

Here then is a rehabilitation programme that is tailor-made under optimal conditions to guarantee effective recovery. "With the water we are able to eliminate gravity," says Dr. Prins explaining how this minimises the risk of falling and increases the possibility of free flowing movement. There is also the added advantage that the water provides its own resistance.

One of the gravest difficulties therapists face is ascertaining a patient's level of resistance, says Dr. Prins. "This is all the more important in rehabilitative programmes. It would be difficult for example to establish exactly how much of resistance your arm could take without damaging it on land. But with the water the situation is different." The amount of resistance that the water will provide depends greatly on the amount of pressure exerted by a person on the water.

"If I paddle hard, the water would resist my movement much more than if I was to paddle slower." After surgery on most occasions patients find it difficult to get back into their original form. "Their gait mechanics, the way in which they move are disturbed." This is more so in cases where either hip or knee injuries are concerned. By indulging in exercises in the water the flow slowly comes back into being and the patient can be gently transferred to land therapy.

But how did this concept make its way into "Prins Aqua Therapy"? "Until the late 1980s this was not a possibility that was much explored. On a federal grant of the United States I began to study the movements of permanently disabled people in the water and that is how the idea of setting up "Prins Aqua Therapy" came about." His wife handles administration while Dr. Prins concentrates on training their many therapists and evaluating exercise programmes.

Aqua therapy is also an equalizer. Whatever one's disability, once in the water everyone is in the same predicament. "It's wonderful to see the confidence boost." But not everyone is receptive. "In our brochures and other programmes we constantly stress that aqua therapy does not require swimming skills and that it is far from Group Aqua Aerobics." It is undertaken by specialists to combat specific problems. Each exercise has to be geared to deal with a particular ailment.

Some people are afraid of falling and losing their balance. But the probability is much less in the water. "We take it step by step, helping the patient to first grow confident in the water and then move on to the actual rehabilitation process."

Will these methods be helpful to those who have been permanently disabled for a long period of time? "If less than a year has gone by, it is most effective. One of the key factors when regaining movement consequent to surgery or paralysis is that the movements are slightly more cumbersome and clumsy. By conducting rehabilitation in the water this is avoided."

Dr. Prins' association with coaching paralympic and Olympic swimmers leads to the inevitable question, what is in store for Sri Lankan swimmers. "I was just remarking the other day how there are more pools in Sri Lanka than coaches!" he laughs. "Swimming in Sri Lanka is more developed than it was when I was a child.

The interest and enthusiasm are evident and everyone wants to know how their techniques may be bettered." This was evident by the attendance at the lecture on "Swimming Stroke Mechanics" which was held at the Sports Ministry auditorium. "There's a lot of talent here."

In Sri Lanka for the 6th Asian Congress of Sports Medicine, which was held in Colombo in October, Dr. Prins also held a weeklong Video Workshop for Competitive Swimmers.

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