Effect of aquatic physical therapy on pain perception, functional capacity and quality of life in older people with knee osteoarthritis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

BackgroundAquatic therapy promotes short-term benefits for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), and it may be the first therapeutic option for this pathological condition. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of an aquatic therapy program on pain intensity, functional ability, and quality of life in older people with knee OA.Methods/designThis is a parallel, two-arm, open, randomized controlled clinical trial with older people with knee OA. Volunteers will be allocated to an aquatic intervention group (WG), subjected to the intervention, or to a control group, not be subjected to any kind of intervention. Data collection pre- and postintervention will be composed of the evaluation of the perception of pain by visual analogue scale with application of nociceptive stimuli in four anatomical points of the knee, functional fitness tests, and application of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale abbreviated version and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. The program will last 12 weeks, consisting of aerobic and functional exercises in the form of circuit training.DiscussionThe objective of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of aquatic therapy in elderly patients with knee OA. The study is guided by practice-based scientific evidence for the use of aquatic rehabilitation exercises. It is expected that the WG volunteers will show reduced pain intensity, increased flexibility, and improved functional capacity and quality of life. It is believed that the desired results can be attributed to physical and physiological effects of immersion in warm water associated with the exercise protocol proposed. The data will be published after completion of the study.Trial registrationBrazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC) registration number: RBR-78h48d. Registered on 19 August 2015.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2061-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Effect of TRX vs. Aquatic Exercises on Self-Reported Knee Instability and Affected Factors in Women with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…buoyancy, which decreases loading of joints, and finally the unique characteristics of water-based exercising which may allow people to perform exercises which otherwise they would be unable to [18,19,25]. Consistent with the results of the present study, they reported that aquatic exercises could improve pain, function, and balance in patients with KOA.…”

Incidência De Pé Equino Em Crianças E Adolescentes Com Paralisia Cerebral

“…Segundo Costa et al (2018); Mattos et al (2016) e Alcalde et al (2017), a fisioterapia aquática é considerada uma ferramenta segura e eficaz no tratamento de diversas patologias, acredita-se que essa adaptação ocorra devido às características físicas do meio aquático, a água aquecida e a pressão hidrostática promovam o relaxamento da musculatura, alívio da tensão e a redução de espasmos musculares, que facilita a execução dos movimentos, isso explica a capacidade de realizar os movimentos com melhor precisão e controle, ativando a musculatura, auxiliando no aumento da força muscular perineal. O aumento da resistência impõe uma maior carga nos membros em movimento, o que pode gerar estímulos para aumentar a força muscular desses músculos ativos, a imersão em água pode ser considerada como uma forma de perturbação sensorial e mecânica que é aplicada à pessoa que está em pé na água (Costa et al, 2018), isso pode explicar a melhora da força muscular já que a maioria dos exercícios eram realizados em bipedestação, concomitante com os estímulos para a contração dos músculos do abdomem e assoalho pélvico.…”

Changes in gait parameters during rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty

“…В конечном итоге, все методы лечения ОА, в том числе ЭП КС, направлены на уменьшение боли и увеличение объема движений в суставе, что, в свою очередь, улучшает качество жизни пациентов. Несмотря на поиск и внедрение новых методов обследования и визуализации, до настоящего времени для этого наиболее часто используются: визуальная аналоговая шкала боли (ВАШ); различные опросники и шкалы [6][7][8][9][10]; измерение окружности бедра, голени и КС; рентгенологическое и ультразвуковое исследование (УЗИ) КС; электромиография четырехглавой мышцы бедра (опосредованно определяющей интенсивность боли); определение амплитуды движений в оперированном суставе [10,11]; 3D-методы визуализации КС.…”