Person holds the painful knee, on which the joint is graphically represented

Study on the effect of hydrotherapy on knee & hip osteoarthritis

Martin Schencking et al.

January 2013

Healing & thermal therapy

Kneipp therapy

Rheumatism / Joints / Arthritis / Arthrosis

The study deals with the hypothesis that Sebastian Kneipp's therapy not only improves mobility, but possibly also alleviates pain and improves quality of life. The aim of this pilot study was to determine the effects of hydrotherapy in comparison with conventional physiotherapy and to determine the feasibility of the study from a clinical perspective.

The sample consisted of 30 people with diagnosed knee or hip osteoarthritis. They were randomly divided into three groups: one group received hydrotherapy treatment, thesecond group received physiotherapy and the last group was treated with both therapies (control group).

The pain intensity of the affected joint decreased the most in group 1, followed by group 3 and group 2. The flexibility of the joints also showed an improvement .

The most important information on the study at a glance

Indications: Osteoarthritis
Institution: Institute for General Practice and Family Medicine, University Witten/Herdecke, Germany
Title: Study on the effect of hydrotherapy on knee and hip osteoarthritis
Brief description: The study shows that hydrotherapy significantly relieves the pain of knee and hip osteoarthritis and improves joint mobility.
Original title: A comparison of Kneipp hydrotherapy with conventional physiotherapy in the treatment of osteoarthritis: a pilot trial
Link to the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23464642/