Abstract
BackgroundAquatic exercise is recommended by the Osteoarthritis Research Society (OARSI), by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) as a nonpharmacological method of controlling the knee osteoarthritis (KOA) symptoms. Moreover, given that weight loss results in a reduction of the load that is exerted upon the knee during daily activities, obesity is also considered to be a modifiable risk factor for the development and or exacerbation of KOA. The implementation of an exercise based weight loss program may, however, itself be limited by the symptoms of KOA. The aquatic program against osteoarthritis (termed “PICO” in Portuguese) prioritizes the control of symptoms and the recovery of functionality, with an attendant increase in the patient’s physical activity level and, consequently, metabolic rate. Our laboratory is assessing the effectiveness of 3 months of PICO on the symptoms of KOA, on physical function, on quality of life and on gait. In addition, PICO shall examine the effects of said exercise intervention on inflammatory biomarkers, psychological health, life style and body composition.Methods/DesignThe trial is a prospective, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial, and involves 50 overweight and obese adults (BMI = 28–43.5 kg/m2; age 40–65 yrs) with radiographic KOA. The participants are randomly allocated into either an educational attention (control) group or an aquatic (exercise program) group. This paper describes the experimental protocol that is used in the PICO project.DiscussionThe PICO program shall provide insight into the effectiveness of an aquatic exercise program in the control of KOA symptoms and in the improvement of the quality of life. As such, they are likely to prove a useful reference to health professionals who intend to implement any kind of therapeutic intervention based around aquatic exercise.Trial registrationNCT01832545.
Highlights
Aquatic exercise is recommended by the Osteoarthritis Research Society (OARSI), by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) as a nonpharmacological method of controlling the knee osteoarthritis (KOA) symptoms
The PICO program shall provide insight into the effectiveness of an aquatic exercise program in the control of KOA symptoms and in the improvement of the quality of life. They are likely to prove a useful reference to health professionals who intend to implement any kind of therapeutic intervention based around aquatic exercise
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent rheumatic disease and represents a great risk to the quality of life of the individual, given the consequent loss of autonomy that can be precipitated by its effect on lower extremity based activities [1,3,4]
Summary
Aquatic exercise is recommended by the Osteoarthritis Research Society (OARSI), by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) as a nonpharmacological method of controlling the knee osteoarthritis (KOA) symptoms. The aquatic program against osteoarthritis (termed “PICO” in Portuguese) prioritizes the control of symptoms and the recovery of functionality, with an attendant increase in the patient’s physical activity level and, metabolic rate. Rheumatic diseases (RD) have low death rates, they are one of the primary causes of compromised quality of life and absenteeism from work, with attendant economic and social consequences [1]. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent rheumatic disease and represents a great risk to the quality of life of the individual, given the consequent loss of autonomy that can be precipitated by its effect on lower extremity based activities (such as walking up and down stairs, climbing and squatting) [1,3,4]. The severity, the symptoms, the impairment in physical function and the progression of OA may be partly mediated by the extent of chronic inflammation in OA patients [6,7]
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