Aquawalking: How to Walk in Water for Gentle Joint Exercise

What is aquawalking?

Aquawalking is neither swimming nor an attempt to get quickly from one side of the pool to the other. You walk along the pool floor while keeping a regular walking rhythm, and the water creates additional resistance. Because of buoyancy, your body is partly supported, so your feet and leg joints receive less impact. At the same time, water resistance slows your movement and makes your muscles work for longer.

The main advantage is the chance to exercise in a middle ground: there is a real workload, but each step does not feel as harsh as it does on asphalt or tile. A biomechanical review shows that immersion level and speed change ground reaction forces, joint movements, and muscle activity. So aquawalking is an adjustable workload, not automatically an easy workout.

Why water can feel easier on your joints

On land, your body weight acts on the supporting leg with every step. In water, buoyancy offsets some of your weight: the deeper you are immersed, the less load your legs bear. At the same time, water resists movement forward, backward, and sideways. This makes your steps slower, while your muscles get extra work without needing to sharply increase your speed.

This can be especially useful if regular walking is temporarily limited by pain, stiffness, or weakness. But “less impact” does not mean “you can walk any way you like.” Taking steps too quickly, turning sharply, or trying to forcefully push through the water can overload your muscles and worsen balance control. Research on water walking confirms that workload depends not only on depth, but also on movement speed and individual body characteristics.

The figures above should not be treated as a promise of results for everyone. They come from different studies: the average effect in a review of people with osteoarthritis, the duration of the included programs, and the protocol of one comparative study. For starting on your own, it makes more sense to choose a tolerable workload and increase it gradually rather than copy someone else’s volume.

Who is aquawalking suitable for?

Aquawalking is often chosen by people who find impact on land difficult to tolerate: people with knee or hip osteoarthritis, those returning after a period of inactivity, people with a higher body weight, or those with reduced endurance. It can also be a comfortable transition back to regular walking after an injury or illness—but only if a doctor or physical therapist has already cleared you for exercise.

• if your knees or hips ache during a regular walk, but movement is generally tolerable
• if it is difficult for you to stand and walk for a long time on land, while moving in water feels more comfortable
• if you are returning to activity after a break and want to reduce the risk of starting too abruptly
• if you want aerobic exercise without having to swim
• if you value the support of the water and the ability to stop at any moment

For osteoarthritis, aquawalking is not considered the “best” option for everyone. The American College of Rheumatology guidelines strongly recommend exercise in general, while aquatic exercise is considered one suitable option. At the same time, there is not enough evidence to prescribe one ideal dose in minutes, pace, and frequency for every person. Your practical choice should account for your symptoms, access to a pool, and what you can realistically do regularly.

How to choose the water depth

Focus not on the number on the pool wall, but on where the water comes up relative to your body. For your first session, stability matters most: you should feel confident on the bottom, be able to see where you are going, and not need to hold the pool edge with every step.

A study of people after stroke compared walking in water at thigh, waist, and chest depth with walking on land. Energy expenditure and breathing measures differed between conditions; at greater depth, participants generally used less energy at the same prescribed speed. But the study was small and conducted specifically in people after stroke, so treat it as an illustration of the effect of depth, not as a universal table for everyone.

How to choose your pace and technique

Start at a pace at which you can speak in full sentences without holding your breath. To control intensity, use the talk test: if you can calmly answer someone, the workload is probably moderate. If your speech breaks into separate words, slow down or take a pause.

1. Stand upright, look ahead rather than constantly at your feet.
2. Take shorter steps than on land and place your foot gently, without slapping the water.
3. Move your arms naturally, but do not swing them sharply.
4. Keep an even rhythm: several similar steps are more useful than a short burst.
5. To make it harder, first increase your walking time a little, then your pace or depth—not everything at once.

Do not try to push through the water with maximum effort. Resistance increases when you speed up or move your arms widely. If you want to add workload, try intervals: an easy segment, then a slightly faster one, followed by recovery. In every segment, you should maintain control of your feet and torso.

In aquawalking, a good pace is not the one that makes water splash highest, but the one you can repeat tomorrow without increased pain.

How long should a session last?

There is no universal duration: programs in studies varied considerably. For example, one randomized study used 60-minute sessions three times a week for 12 weeks, but this was a structured program for people with osteoarthritis, not a mandatory standard for walking on your own.

A safe start for beginners

1. 5 minutes — easy walking while getting used to the temperature and resistance of the water.
2. 10–15 minutes — the main walking segment at a conversational pace, with short pauses if needed.
3. 5 minutes — slowing down, with light backward or sideways steps only if your balance is good.
4. After leaving the water, assess how you feel not only immediately, but also that evening and the next day.

If your joints and muscles respond calmly, gradually increase the main segment. You do not have to aim for a long workout right away: regular short sessions are more useful than rare attempts to “make up” a lot of minutes. For general endurance, you can focus on gradually increasing frequency; for recovery after an injury, follow your doctor’s or physical therapist’s plan.

How aquawalking differs from a regular walk

On land, you move faster, transfer your weight from one leg to the other more freely, and get a more direct transfer of the skill to everyday walking. In water, steps are usually shorter and slower, but resistance acts throughout almost the entire movement cycle. You use effort not only to move forward, but also to stabilize your torso.

Biomechanical studies confirm that ground reaction forces in water can be adjusted through depth and speed. But water changes your usual walking pattern, so it does not completely replace walks. A good approach is to use the pool on days when your joints need a gentler environment, while gradually bringing back walking on land.

Mistakes that reduce the benefits

• Starting too fast. You get tired not from useful work, but from immediately trying to push against the resistance.
• Constantly holding the pool edge. This reduces the balance demands and can hide a lack of confidence.
• Leaning your torso backward. This makes it easier to lift your legs, but increases strain on your lower back and worsens step control.
• Lifting your knees too high. This is not a required sign of effective aquawalking and often quickly tires the hip flexors.
• Turning sharply. Water slows your reactions, while a slippery bottom increases the risk of losing your balance.
• Ignoring a delayed response. If pain noticeably increases that evening or the next day, the volume was too high.
• Not drinking. The cool pool environment can hide sweating, but you still lose fluids.

When you need to talk to a doctor

If you already have a diagnosis and your doctor has cleared you for physical activity, aquawalking can often be a convenient way to start. But if you have a new symptom, do not use the pool as a substitute for diagnosis. It is especially important to get individual advice after joint surgery, a recent injury, fracture, injection, or a prolonged period of immobility.

• acute or rapidly worsening pain, marked swelling, redness, or a feeling of heat in the joint
• dizziness, near-fainting, chest pain or pressure, unusual shortness of breath, or irregular heartbeat
• instability, repeated falls, or being unable to walk safely on the pool floor
• a flare-up of a chronic heart, lung, or nervous system condition
• fever, an acute infection, or an open or poorly healed wound
• uncertainty about whether exercise is allowed after surgery or another medical procedure

For chest pain, severe shortness of breath, fainting, or sudden weakness, stop the session and seek urgent medical help. Open cuts and wounds are another reason not to enter the pool: the CDC recommends staying out of the water with an open wound, especially after surgery, to reduce the risk of infection and water contamination.

Frequently asked questions

The takeaway

Aquawalking is useful not because it is always easier, but because its workload is easier to adjust. Depth reduces some of the weight on your legs, water resists movement, and a calm pace lets you exercise without sharp impacts or sudden bursts. Start with a short session, use a conversational pace, assess your joints’ response over 24 hours, and do not be afraid to stop earlier than planned.