Osteodegenerative Diseases & Aqua Aerobics
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Article written by:
Dr. Francisco Arroyo
Medical Director of SportsMed
Sports Medicine & Stem Cell Specialist
Medical | Regenerative Medicine
Doing aqua aerobics in the short term in patients with knee or hip prostheses gave them greater mobility and functioning.
Osteodegenerative diseases are those that affect our joints, as well as muscles, ligaments, tendons, etc. The causes can be many but one of them is simply getting old.
Many years ago, knee operations were performed in which patients had their menisci removed (which is the cushioning between the tibia and femur in the knees) and in those days (because I was one of those patients) they simply told us: “Well, your meniscuses won’t hurt anymore,” well, of course they weren’t going to hurt anymore, they had already been removed. And that surgery performed after 20, 30, 40 years meant that all those patients needed a knee prosthesis. Everything is understandable but not always acceptable. But if they give you a knee, hip, prosthesis, etc. or if you are just getting older and your joints and muscles are starting to weaken, then you have to join a rehabilitation or exercise program which can last between 3 to 6 months. If you have access to a pool, one such exercise is aqua aerobics.
These exercises will not only help us with this type of patient but in general with patients with different pathologies. In fact, as its name suggests, it is a combination of aerobic exercises done in water and is based on the idea that the exercises done against the resistance of water makes us consume much more energy than when we do them against the resistance of air. But not only are there benefits in relation to the calories consumed, the patient also improves self-efficiency, reduces joint pain, improves depression levels, as well as improves body weight and blood lipid levels (Hee-Young Kang, et al. Effectiveness of an aqua aerobics exercise program for patients with osteoarthritis. Appl Nurs Res. 2012 Aug; 181-9. doi: 10.1016/j.apnr. 2010.10.001.)
Another study involved patients with osteoarthritis and obesity and in this other study done with 249 adults, all of them were included in 5 months of aqua aerobics twice a week.
These patients improved in their depressive symptoms, in the control and reduction of painful symptoms and they ended up saying that it is a very good method because it allows them greater mobility in the water. (Lisa Cadmus et al. Community-based aquatic exercise and quality of life in persons with osteoarthritis. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010 Jan;42(1):8-15.doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181ae96a9)
But there was a lack of a study that said what happens to the strength, elasticity and physical condition in this type of patient if they do aqua aerobics. Then I found in another study that the effects of doing aqua aerobics in the short term in patients with knee or hip prostheses gave them greater mobility and functioning.
The key points would be to do aqua aerobics two or three times a week, so that it becomes a routine to follow as if we were going to the gym. The exercise should be done for at least 30 minutes and like any program it should have a warm-up with stretching, and at the end more stretching. Not to mention how much more desirable the pool is in this heat compared to going to a gym.
Article written by:
Dr. Francisco Arroyo – Medical Director of SportMed