Emily Schneckloth is hoping hydrotherapy will help her resume her athletic career.

Schneckloth, 16, a junior at Carroll High School, was born with an extra bone in both her right and left foot.

An athlete competing in three sports — cross country, swimming and track — Schneckloth was experiencing pain in her left foot that was hampering her performance.

In May, she had surgery to remove the extra bone in her left foot and after removing the cast, continued to have pain and wasn’t walking right.

A walking boot followed and eventually Schneckloth started physical therapy at St. Joseph’s Physical and Sports Therapy Center. She has been using a HydroWorx pool for several weeks as a part of that therapy.

Schneckloth effortlessly runs in the pool, taking time to turn her head to talk with people. As the speed of the treadmill increases, she doesn’t labor to keep up with the movement beneath her feet.

One of her therapists, Chad Bradley, tells Schneckloth to lift her knees higher and to kick back further while in the pool, which is heated to between 92 and 94 degrees Fahrenheit. Her posture is also monitored by Bradley.

“The decision was left up to her,” Emily’s mother, Laura Schneckloth, said last Wednesday of the surgery. “We met with the doctor and gave her time to think about it. She decided to go ahead with the surgery.”

Her right foot doesn’t cause pain and no surgery is planned.

Laura said a slight deformity was found in her daughter’s left leg and put more pressure on the left foot.

“The pain was tremendous and it was a slow recovery from the surgery,” she said. “I think the doctors minimized what it would be like, there was a lot more pain than we expected.”

Twice a week Emily enters the heated pool and walks at up to 5 mph for 20 minutes at a time. An underwater camera records her progress.

“In the beginning of July, I could barely walk,” Emily said. “I feel like I’ve come a long way, but still have a long way to go.

“I mostly run on the treadmill,” she said. “I never thought about running when I first came here.”

A member of the Carroll High School cross country team Schneckloth is currently serving as a team manager. There are times she rides a bicycle alongside her teammates while they run.

Her goal is to compete in a 3.1-mile cross country race in October. Bradley said that goal will be accomplished.

Bradley said Emily is now able to run up to 2.5 miles per day with no effort.

Another goal is to set the school record in the breast stroke, a mark she missed in 2006 by 3 seconds.

Because of her painful left foot, Schneckloth was unable to properly kick off the end of the swimming pool on the turns.

“It was a one-legged kick,” she said. “I always lost a lot of time on the turn. This has been a tremendous help. I’m glad I came here. I’m more confident.”

Emily started with traditional land therapy and has been exercising in the HydroWorx pool since early August.

“It has variable speeds and can go to 7.5 mph,” Bradley said. “There are also whirlpool jets that can be used for increased resistance or to allow patients to swim in the pool.”

The underwater camera takes front and side views of patients and can be recorded so that doctors can review how patients are doing during the therapy.

Bradley said the pool eliminates gravity and takes the pressure off the joints during the therapy sessions.

The water resistance helps with muscle tone and helps patients learn to stabilize the lower leg when walking on an uneven surface.

“We’re retraining the muscle systems to react in a split second,” Bradley said. “With a performance athlete a split second could end their career.”

Ken de la Bastide can be reached at (765) 454 -8580 or via e-mail at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com