Swimming

Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines, who was recently stricken with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, is out of the hospital and rehabilitating at his home in Hawaii. The best physical therapy for Gaines, doctors say, is swimming.

“There is a lot of stress on the joints and a lot of nerve damage,” Gaines said of the neurological paralytic disorder. “I am really sore when I try to walk or sit, but in the water I feel real comfortable.”

It takes Gaines 45 minutes to swim a distance that took seven minutes previously.

He is able to walk with a cane, but his coordination is poor, and he said he is weak after losing 20 pounds. A full recovery could take three to 12 months, but there is no guarantee.