Aquatic Exercise and Land Exercise Treatments after Total Knee Replacement Arthroplasty in Elderly Women: A Comparative Study

The effectiveness of hydrotherapy on return to play in sports following hip arthroscopic surgery: a comparative study

BACKGROUND

The postoperative management of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is variable with favourable surgical outcomes. Yet there is no evidence on the efficacy of hydrotherapy in athletes undergoing hip arthroscopy for FAI. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role and the impact of hydrotherapy on return to sports following hip arthroscopy for symptomatic FAI.

METHODS

2 cohorts of mixed level of athletes from various sports: a hydrotherapy group that followed land-based exercises in combination with hydrotherapy exercises and a control group that followed solely the same land-based exercises. Pre- and postoperative pain and hip-specific outcome scores were completed, and patient satisfaction was rated.

RESULTS

A total of 88 hip arthroscopies were included with a minimum of 2 years follow-up; the hydrotherapy group comprised of 36 hips and the control group, 52 hips. There was a significant improvement in time to return to previous performance (HR 1.91, 95% CI, 1.21-3.01; p = 0.005) in the hydrotherapy group compared with the control. The hip-specific scores and patient satisfaction were considerably improved in the hydrotherapy group.

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis of our data indicates that the incorporation of hydrotherapy into postoperative rehabilitation for hip arthroscopy for FAI accelerates the return of athletes to their pre-injury performance, since recovery time decreased significantly.

Effect of aqua walking exercise on knee joint angles, muscular strength, and visual analogue scale for patients with limited range of motion of the knee

The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of aqua walking exercise on the joint range of motion (ROM), muscular strength, and pain in patients who have limited knee ROM from surgery or joint fixation. Ten subjects were participated in this study and divided into two groups: continuous passive motion (CPM) therapy+walking exercise on dryland (CWD) and CPM+aqua walking exercise (CAW) groups. The repeated measures analysis of variance was used to verify the difference between the groups and the duration of the program. A paired t-test was used to verify the significance of the observed difference within the groups, and an independent t-test was used to verify the significance of the observed difference between different groups. In this study, ROM in the knee flexion showed interaction effect between the two groups. CAW had a significant increase of knee flexion angle compared to those in CWD. Also, strength on the knee flexors showed interaction effect between the two groups. CAW had a significant increase of knee flexion angle compared to those in CWD, while strength on the knee extensors showed no significant interaction effect between groups. Visual analogue scale (VAS) score showed interaction between the two groups. CAW had a significant increase of the VAS scores compared to those in CWD. Given these findings reported in present study, aqua walking exercise for patients with osteoarthritis is a very safe and effective therapeutic strategies that can move the joint in the optimal ROM.