Aquatic exercises are often recommended for people with osteoarthritis (OA), however, there is a lack of evidence about the effects of these exercises.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of two different aquatic exercise trainings on cardiopulmonary endurance and emotional status in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Eighty-nine patients who had been diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis were divided into three groups as two different aquatic exercise training groups (only lower extremity training vs. lower extremity + upper extremity and trunk exercises) or the control group. All groups have received the conventional therapy which consisted of hotpack, ultrasound, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and home exercises. Six-minute walk test (6MWT) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) were used for assessing cardiopulmonary endurance and emotional status, respectively.
Following the treatment, all groups improved in terms of systolic blood pressure, walking distance and total HAD scores. Group 1 showed additional improvements in diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and perceived exertion, while Group 2 showed additional improvements only in perceived exertion. Greater changes before and after the treatment in diastolic blood pressure at rest and following 6MWT, perceived exertion following 6MWT, walking distance, HAD depression scores and HAD anxiety scores were observed in Group 1.
Exercise therapy consisting of only lower extremity exercises in water might be more effective in improving exercise capacity and depression levels in comparison to upper extremity and trunk added exercises or conventional physical therapy.