Aquatic Therapy as the Treatment for Osteoarthritis

The purpose of this study was to determine what effects aquatic therapy had on range of motion and muscle strength in patients of the geriatric population. The study was a retrospective design. The study included records from both male and female patients who were at least 50 years of age, had a diagnosis of osteoarthritis, and received treatment of aquatic therapy three times a week at 30 minute intervals (N = 50). Data was collected using tally sheets from a single physical therapy clinic on the East Coast using a computerized data source with patient specific codes. Range of motion and muscle strength of each subject was reviewed before aquatic therapy and three months after therapy. The results revealed that there was a significant difference in range of motion and muscle strength before aquatic therapy and three months after therapy. The study suggest that if elderly individuals participate in aquatic therapy for the treatment of their osteoarthritis for at least three months, there would be an improvement in their range of motion and muscle strength.