Staying Afloat : A water-therapy program at the VA hospital helps veterans recover from strokes, arthritis and wartime injuries.

Erv Rubin, a 65-year-old retired manufacturer, broke his leg two years ago. While he recovered, he got around on crutches. But one rainy day, as he attempted to step up on a slick curb near his Northridge home, his crutches flew out from under him, he crashed to the ground and his legs caught in a storm drain. Badly injured from his spine to his knees, Rubin was unable to walk. He spent the next year in a wheelchair.

“I cried like a baby,” he said. “I was extremely depressed. I went through three doctors, and I had so many tests, but no one could give me good answers. Nobody knew what to do. I thought my situation was hopeless.”

An orthopedic surgeon finally referred Rubin, a World War II veteran, to a water exercise program at the Veterans Health Administration Medical Center at Sepulveda. Rubin said the program changed his life.

“I went from a wheelchair to a walker within two months,” said Rubin, dripping wet and standing waist-deep in a large pool at the VA hospital. “After another two months I was walking with a cane. Now I can walk around the block without a cane.”

Rubin is one of hundreds of veterans who have participated in the VA’s Hydro-Iso-Kinetic Therapy Program. By exercising in water, the veterans hope to gain strength and reverse disabilities caused by strokes, cardiovascular disease, chronic illnesses, arthritis, spinal cord and other injuries and muscle and joint degeneration.

The water therapy program was developed three years ago by former Denver Broncos linebacker Robert Felton, a registered kinesiotherapist who holds a doctorate in biomechanics. “We stop the degenerative process and turn the aging cycle around,” Felton said, pointing out that many successful participants of his program had previously “washed out” of other physical therapy regimes.

“Water is the perfect medium for rehabilitation,” he said. “Because of the buoyancy and weightlessness, there’s better balance and equilibrium. Exercises don’t cause stress on joints or bones in water. Gravity is not an issue in water, so ambulation is easier than it is on land. Water gives a whole different meaning to human movement.”

Felton’s program relies on plastic ankle-strap water boots that resemble astronaut footwear, and hand-held, lightweight “water bells” that work like dumbbells. The devices are manufactured for fitness and recreational use, but Felton uses them to create customized exercise plans.

Hourlong water therapy sessions are scheduled throughout the day in a huge pool at the VA hospital. About two dozen participants, including many veterans who are too weak to stand or walk on land, splash about as Felton paces along the edge of the water.

“Power walk! Power walk!” he barks.

Gasping and grimacing, the veterans swing their arms and legs as they make their way to the opposite side of the pool. With their every step, water flows through openings in the bells and boots, creating resistance. The faster they move, the more effort is required and the stronger they get.

“I drive 80 miles a day to come to this,” pants retired painter Louie Mingirulli, 70, of Los Angeles. He joined the program after a stroke affected movement on his left side. “I been working out since I got out of the stroke ward. I got to do it--to get rid of the kinks, you know. I used to walk with two sticks, but I threw one away and I’m doing all right. He works us hard, but it’s worth it.”

Two veterans in wheelchairs--both paraplegics as a result of World War II injuries--are lifted into the pool where they are strapped to chairs and provided with water bells. Sitting chest-deep in the water, they clutch the bells and rhythmically raise and extend their arms.

The men joined the program to relieve chronic shoulder and neck pain, build strength and endurance--and regain their independence.

After almost 50 years of propelling themselves around in wheelchairs, their shoulders and arms were simply wearing out.

Unable to use their arms, sit for long periods of time or even get out of bed without assistance, they faced the grim prospect of becoming totally dependent.

“The program seems to be working,” said Bob Wells, 67, of North Hills. He has been paralyzed from the waist down since 1944 when, as a World War II medic, he was shot in the back and lung while carrying a wounded soldier.

“I’m getting my strength back. I’m now able to get around on my own. I drive, I can lift myself and I can push my wheelchair better.”

WHERE TO GO Information: For more information, veterans should make an appointment with the Rehabilitative Medicine Services Department. Call (818) 891-7711, extension 9344.