Aquatic physical therapy for hip and knee osteoarthritis: Results of a single-blind randomized controlled trial

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Aquatic physical therapy is frequently used in the management of patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA), yet there is little research establishing its efficacy for this population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of aquatic physical therapy on hip or knee OA. SUBJECTS: A total of 71 volunteers with symptomatic hip OA or knee OA participated in this study. METHODS: The study was designed as a randomized controlled trial in which participants randomly received 6 weeks of aquatic physical therapy or no aquatic physical therapy. Outcome measures included pain, physical function, physical activity levels, quality of life, and muscle strength. ..