In another time, fibromyalgia was considered, if at all, a spurious ailment, not classified into specific diagnosis. But today, fibromyalgia is due respect, recognized in the medical community as a real entity. Physicians have ways to treat the ailment of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue and thousands of people who might formerly have been looked upon as "chronic complainers" are being treated with dignity.
Now comes Mary Essert and her aquatic wellness workshops that meet fibromyalgia in the water. The Conway woman, a trained aquatics therapist, knows well the power of water to offer relief in this form of therapy.
"Move it or lose it," Essert intones as she extols the virtues of waterworks in the management of physical distress.
Essert is a sprite of a woman who occupies herself in the management of painful and chronic ailments, especially among senior citizens who per force cope with fibromyalgia, arthritis and osteoporosis.
Through her Essert Associates Inc. aquatic consultants, she touts the benefits one can gain in water therapy. Her work is vital in view of the increasing numbers of post-joint replacement and post-mastectomy patients.
Essert is recognized and respected internationally as a pioneer educator in aquatics and water fitness. Among the many certifications she owns is one that sets her apart as an Arthritis Foundation instructor trainer since 1984. Her workshops and custom seminars in the field of water fitness are popular worldwide.
Her most recent honor came this year when she received the Aquatic Therapy Professional of the Year Award from the Aquatic Therapy Institute.
She is a living and breathing exponent of the value of working in water, being herself a breast cancer survivor who has fibromyalgia, a disorder characterized by muscle pain, stiffness and easy fatigability. The cause of the disorder is unknown and it is estimated that more than 30 million are affected in the USA.
Fibromyalgia, says Essert, "is not a form of arthritis but a medical condition that causes widespread pain and tenderness -- soreness to the touch -- at specific body sites."
She has trained therapists and instructors worldwide to treat persons with fibromyalgia effectively through waterwork undertaken in progressively graded programs.
Her premise of keeping on the move is predicated on being involved in work at the Conway Regional Fitness Center and with therapists at the Conway Therapy Services on Museum Road.
At her Conway home, she stays busy writing and arranging for workshops. "I have classes at the fitness center pool for arthritis and fibromyalgia patients on Tuesday and Thursday and during evening hours. At the Greg Wren therapy center (Conway Therapy Services), I work with therapists Monday, Wednesday and Friday as the need arises."
Hardly a newcomer to the discipline, Essert has since 1949 been immersed in teaching swimming, water fitness and therapy intervention techniques. "Adaptive aquatics has led me to more active involvement in rehabilitation therapy," she said.
Action may well be her mantra. And she applies it to herself. She is fit, very energetic and spirited. Her workshops indicate that aquatic exercise and therapy with a trained, competent therapist can benefit people with arthritis-related problems, including osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, joint replacement, breast cancer, cardiac problems, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other ailments
As in any treatment, aquatic therapy should be discussed with the patient's physician before any treatment is undertaken, she says.
Essert's certifications have come from the YMCA, Red Cross and U.S. Water Fitness Association. Her expertise is strong in programs for persons with disabilities and older adults.
Essert also offers videos on waterwork fitness. Other videos include those on arthritis and water fitness for seniors, and Watsu and Jahara. She may be reached at 3635 Irby Drive, Conway. For online its www.mindspring.com/messert or messert@mindspring.com.
(Staff writer Fred Petrucelli can be reached by phone at 505-1256.)
