Land-based Exercise versus Hydrotherapy in Osteoarthritis

Introduction: Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It results in joint pain, stiffness, reduced mobility, and decreased quality of life. While NSAIDs are the cornerstone of treatment, exercise is one of the safest and least expensive treatments. Exercise can be completed on land or in water. Hydrotherapy is hypothesized to produce more beneficial outcomes compared to land-based exercise.Methods: The database, PubMed, was used to acquire articles that compare hydrotherapy to land-based therapy in individuals with large-joint OA. Outcomes of interest included pain relief, joint mobility, and quality of life.Results: Based collectively on four articles, there was no consensus on whether hydrotherapy was superior to land-based therapy.Discussion: There was little consensus among study results, indicating that no therapy modality appeared to be superior. One theme was exhibited, however-- some exercise therapy is more beneficial than no therapy.Conclusion: Further, current high-quality RCTs with more diverse participants, and long follow-up periods are required to compare the treatment modalities.