Aquatic Exercise Reduces Osteoarthritis Pain

Making News:

A recent systematic review published in The Cochrane Library has found that, for patients suffering from hip or knee osteoarthritis, doing cardiovascular and stretching exercises in warm water (90–97 degrees Fahrenheit) can bring some pain relief and may improve daily function.

Reviewers analyzed six trials that included 800 participants, all living with osteoarthritis. Some patients did aquatic exercises for different durations and frequencies, while others did no exercise or worked out on land. The aquatic exercises included cardiovascular activities and/or stretching, strengthening and range-of-motion exercises. Most of the studies measured patients’ progress after 3 months of therapy. Based on the findings, the reviewers concluded, “In people with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee, pain may decrease by 1 more point on a scale of 0–20 with aquatic exercise, and function may improve by 3 more points on a scale of 0–68.”

“There is gold-level evidence that for osteoarthritis of the hip or knee, aquatic exercise probably slightly reduces pain and slightly improves function over 3 months,” the reviewers wrote. “Based on this, one may consider using aquatic exercise as the first part of a longer exercise program for osteoarthritis patients.”