Norfolk, VA — The highly specialized human performance initiative (HPI) in place at Naval Special Warfare Group (NSWG) 4 recently added a hydrotherapy pool to its inventory of equipment used to prolong a special boat operator's career.
HPI is an ongoing series of assessments, exercises, nutritional guidelines and therapies used by special warfare combatant-craft crewmen (SWCC) and SEALs across the NSWG 4 claimancy.
The program is modeled after similar programs used by professional sports organizations, such as the National Football League. Its primary goal is to prevent or heal the damage done to a SWCC or SEAL's body simply because of the nature of his or her daily duties, thereby increasing career longevity.
The pool is 15 feet long by 7 feet wide and is 4 1/2 feet deep. It holds approximately 2,000 gallons of water and has two high-powered water jets that push water over a built-in treadmill to provide different degrees of resistance.