"Whether you call it water running aqua jogging or hydrotherapy you cant beat a workout in water for an array of health benefits many experts say. Everyone from pro athletes to stroke survivors are benefitting from aquatic exercise https that combines walking or running against the natural resistance of the water to help build strength and endurance. Running and walking in water is an excellent form of physical therapy for people rehabilitating from hip knee and back injuries and surgeries. Its also an easyonthe joints form of exercise for seniors and others who suffer from arthritis and a recent study shows it can speed recovery from stroke faster than using a traditional treadmill. Its just an allaround good aerobic conditioner for athletes too sports medicine expert Dr. Naresh Rao told CBS News. Rao is the Olympic Team USA Water Polo Physician for the  Summer Games.  Weve been using hydrotherapy to help decrease any sort of gravity that can affect joint function said Rao who is also with the department of family medicine at Plainview Hospital in Plainview New York. I personally prescribe it for knee issues and low back issues. Hydrotherapy uses a waterfriendly treadmill that can be placed in a pool https Another method involves a specially designed treadmill https tank. Matt Johnson a physical therapist at St. Lukes Hospital in Bethlehem Pennsylvania told CBS News that the tank is basically a freestanding tub about six feet long by three feet wide with a motorized belt. The water height can be adjusted to the patients abilities. The buoyancy of the water helps someone whos been injured to walk and run a little sooner than theyd be able to do on dry ground he explained. In water we can teach them sooner. They can really work on their gait walk without pain do exercises in water that you wouldnt be able to do on land said Johnson. He uses a HydroTrack Underwater Treadmill System  professional sports teams including the New York Yankees and the Miami Dolphins have used it too. The nice thing about it said Johnson is that people can step right into the tank at ground level and then the water fills up around them. It works like a lock on a canal he said. So even older patients with limited mobility and balance dont have to negotiate getting down into a pool. Johnson starts off recuperating athletes and patients in water somewhere between waist and chest height. The treadmill speed can be set anywhere from . to . miles per hour depending on how much resistance a person can handle.  At waist height its at about  percent of body weight. At chest height its about  percent of body weight Johnson said noting for example that a person with an injured knee who weighs  pounds who is running in waisthigh water would only feel like  pounds on the bad knee. Taking some of that pressure off the knee helps them tolerate that knee injury longer said Johnson. A recent study in the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation showed that water workouts might benefit stroke https survivors. Researchers asked  patients whod had a stroke within the past two months to undergo two treadmill exercise tests  one submerged in water and one on a regular treadmill. They gradually increased walking speed and slope over time until the patients couldnt go any further. Walking on the underwater treadmill produced better measures when it came to maximal oxygen consumption VOmax a reflection of heart and lung function during exercise and metabolic equivalents a measure of energy use. The study proposes a different very innovative approach to rehabilitation after stroke said Dr. Gisele WolfKlein director of geriatric education at Northwell Health in Great Neck New York.  WolfeKlein told CBS News she has tried water workouts and said you dont even feel like you break a sweat even if your heart rate is up. Its a very pleasant way of achieving exactly what youre trying to do  allowing a cardiorespiratory response WolfeKlein told CBS News.  She noted that medicines veterinary counterparts have been using water therapy for years with injured racehorses. Budd Coates training director at Runners World magazine said runners dont just plunge into water https therapy when theyre injured its a great conditioning method for healthy athletes too. Some recreational swimming pools and homeowners with backyard pools have manual treadmills that are watersafe and can be plunked right in the water. An alternative to a water treadmill Some pool companies will install a water flow system you can work out against.  It creates a water force and helps keep you jogging in place said Coates.  For those without access to a water treadmill you can purchase a foam vest specifically designed for water jogging or use foam barbells to help keep you afloat. Some pools may loan them out too.  Or Coates suggested just try it freeform with waist or chesthigh water to start. If you have trouble getting in out of a recreational pool look for one that has a slanting beachstyle entry into the water or one with a robotic chair lift. Ask a pool lifeguard or certified swim instructor to help you. If runnings not your thing but the water looks inviting Coates said there are also spin bikes that can be used underwater. Coates said the beauty of water running or even walking is that its great for any age and any level of ability from elderly stroke survivors to Olympic athletes. Galen Rupp the  Rio Olympics https mens marathon bronze medalist relies on it as part of his training.  He and some of the other guys on the Nike team its well known they take advantage of the antigravity treadmill and the aqua track Coates said."