Comparing the effectiveness of hydrotherapy and physiotherapy in the management of knee osteoarthritis

Recently, hydrotherapy has been proposed as one of the newest non-pharmacological methods used in the treatment of osteoarthritis. The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of hydrotherapy and physiotherapy in the functioning, walking and dynamic balance of subjects with knee osteoarthritis. 36 volunteers with knee osteoarthritis were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and controls. The subjects in experimental groups received 6 weeks of aquatic therapy and physiotherapy. Step test, timed "Up and Go" Test and Six-Minute Walking Test were used to measure dynamic standing balance, physical function and gait respectively both at pre- and post-test. Data analysis showed that there were not any significant differences between balance, gait and physical function when two groups of physiotherapy and hydrotherapy were compared (P < 0/05). Furthermore, findings showed that both hydrotherapy and physiotherapy treatments increase gait, balance and knee function in the subjects with knee osteoarthritis (P > 0/05). It can be concluded that, despite the effectiveness of the both treatments, there was not any significant difference between the two treatments.