EFEITOS DOS EXERCÍCIOS AQUÁTICOS NA OSTEOARTRITE DO QUADRIL OU JOELHO: REVISÃO

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee or hip is a common degenerative joint disease that affects the individual in multiple dimensions: from organic level to the social. The disease is associated with pain and joint stiffness, deformity, and progressive loss of function. This review aimed to gather information about the benefits provided by the physical activity performed in the aquatic environment, especially in cases where the action of gravity causes pain and difficulty for the exercises. Surveys were conducted in the following electronic databases accessible online: Ibecs, Lilacs, Medline, Pubmed and Scielo and included randomized controlled trials using the intersection between the descriptors: knee osteoarthritis, hip osteoarthritis, hydrotherapy, rehabilitation and exercise therapy, in English, Spanish and Portuguese, for the period 2001 to 2011. Ten studies were selected being six compared the effects of exercise performed in the soil with the water conducted in patients with OA. The aquatic exercise group showed himself superior in reducing pain, treatment adherence and reduce the proportion of body fat. The exercise group performed in soil showed better results for the gains in muscle strength and level of satisfaction. Hydrotherapy has provided many benefits for individuals with OA of the hip or knee and pain reduction was the main therapeutic effect, besides being a well-accepted activity, benefiting individuals with varying degrees of OA.