The Effect of Deep-water Exercise and Shallow-water Exercise on Dynamic Balance in Older Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis

Exercise can be effective on reduction of dynamic balance function which is one of the clinical symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of exercise in two different depth of water on dynamic balance in elderly people with knee Osteoarthritis (OA). 43 elderly women who had knee OA over 8 months participated in present study. Based on the preliminary examination and pretest, the subjects were divided by random matching into 3 homogeneous groups: 1) shallow- water exercise (n=14) 2) deep- water exercise (n=14), and 3) control group (n=15). Experimental group underwent 12 weeks (three sessions per week) aquatic exercise program. Dynamic balance was assessed using the SEBT test. Multivariate Analysis of Variance was used for statistical analysis. While Dynamic Balance had significant improvement in both experimental groups, it had a little decrease in control group. Shallow-water exercise improved significantly dynamic balance more than Deep-water exercise (p=0.001). Aquatic exercise appears to be an effective treatment modality on dynamic balance for elderly women who are suffering from knee OA. However, exercise in the shallow water was more effective than the deep water exercise.

Keywords:

Deep-water exercise , Shallow-water exercise , Dynamic Balance , Older Adult , Knee Osteoarthritis