Runners looking to ease their aching limbs may want to move their act from dry land to the pool.

So-called deep-water running, exercise experts say, offers a low-impact way for injured runners to stay in shape, as well as an alternative form of exercise for anyone who needs a break from the punishing effects of pounding the pavement.

Running is great for cardiovascular fitness, but every time a runner’s foot hits the ground, it creates a powerful force - increasing the risk of lower-body injuries.

Deep-water running, performed with the help of a flotation device, takes away the impact while keeping the cardio benefit, according to Jennifer Padilla Loupias, an exercise physiologist at St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Nevada.

Runners whose injuries are keeping them off the road “can maintain their training through deep-water running,” she told AMN Health.

The technique requires a flotation device - such as an “buoyancy” belt or water “noodles” - to keep the body upright while the water jogger pumps his arms and legs. The only other necessity, Loupias noted, is that that the water be deep enough that the runner’s feet don’t touch bottom.

Writing in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal, Loupias and colleague Dr. Lawrence A. Golding point to studies that have shown deep-water running to be a challenging cardiovascular workout, as long as the exerciser really goes at it.

“Several studies,” they note, “have reported that if deep-water running is performed with adequate intensity cardiorespiratory fitness can be maintained and even improved.”

According to Loupias, this makes the activity not only a temporary alternative for injured runners, but also a good addition to healthy runners’ regimens and an option for people who cannot stand the impact of land running - such as those who are overweight or have lower-back pain or nerve damage in the feet.

How effective deep-water running is for weight loss in unknown, Loupias said, but like any exercise, it beats sitting on the couch.

SOURCE: Health & Fitness Journal, September/October 2004.