Effects of ozone therapy on joint rehabilitation in patients with osteoarthritis: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Osteoarthritis is a comorbidity of chronic and multifactorial pain, characterized by a degenerative joint process that compromises functionality. Ozone therapy has proven to be a good rehabilitation strategy in view of its regenerative and antioxidant effects. Objective: To describe the effects of ozone therapy on tissue recovery, with regard to pain and functionality, impacting the joint rehabilitation of patients with osteoarthritis. Methods: Refers to a systematic review guided by the PICO strategy, the search was performed in the Lilacs, Pubmed, and Central databases, with the descriptors: osteoarthritis, degenerative arthritis, cartilage, damaged cartilage, arthritis, joint, ozone, ozone therapy, ozone therapy, ozone injection, pain, arthralgia, chronic pain, joint pain, mobility, mobility limitation, range of motion and functionality, using the Boolean operators "AND" and "OR", including articles from 2016 to 2021. Results: After reading the title and abstract, 40 studies were found, 5 were selected according to the inclusion criteria, which showed that ozone therapy is effective in joint rehabilitation for pain and functionality markers. However, with differences in duration of effects when compared to other therapies, being more effective in the short term. Conclusion: Ozone therapy is effective in reducing pain and inflammation, and in functional improvement, directly impacting the joint rehabilitation of patients with osteoarthritis.