My girlfriend recently underwent major knee surgery and has been told that she can start swimming as long as she has some support from a flotation device and does not kick her leg while she is moving forward. The doctor told her she cannot do any aqua jogging yet, because it will put to much strain on her leg. So we are trying to figure out what she can use that will provide support, allow her to tilt forward and not totally drag her down as she starts to swim using her upper body strength.
It seems like an aqua jogging belt may be the answer, but since neither one of us has used one we are not sure how it will affect the body position in the water. Do they tilt you forward or do they want to hold your body upright? Do they create a lot of resistance against the water when moving forward?
I was looking on the Kiefer swim accessory website and it looks like there are other types of belts that may be more inclined to allow a comfortable swim stroke. The belt I was looking at has flotation around the entire belt, not just the back part. Has anybody used a belt of this nature?
Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
DeSoto Speedtube 5 (and maybe still a band around ankles to keep her from kicking)
I have used both. The Speedtube works “better,” but, the pull buoy works fine.
I would avoid the aqua belt. There is a guy in my gym who comes in about once a week and tries to swim laps with an aqua jogger belt. Does not put him anywhere near the correct body position. Now, it may be all him (he does not seem to know proper form). But, seeing how his body sits in the water, does not seem to be the best choice.
Thanks for all the tips so far. I didn’t even think of using a pull buoy even though I use one all the time. Here is a picture of that flotation belt I was talking about.
