Aquatic physiotherapy in pain, daily activities and quality of life in older people with knee Osteoarthritis

INTERVENTION: E02.533 The intervention program will have a duration of 12 weeks, with every three days a week and last approximately 30 minutes. Volunteers will be randomly allocated into 2 groups. Aquatic intervention group of 25 elderly volunteers with knee osteoarthritis will be submitted to aquatic physical therapy program in a therapeutic pool with temperature maintained between 32° C and 34° C. The intervention program will consist of motor coordination and agility exercises; flexibility (stretching) of the legs and arms muscles; Timeline perception and reaction speed through activities with balls; Balance: standing up on boards; muscle training: doing resistance exercises for arms and legs. Control group ‐ Inactive: 25 elderly subjects with knee osteoarthritis who do not perform any type of exercise or other physical therapy. CONDITION: C05.550.114.606 osteoarthritis ; C05.550.114.606 PRIMARY OUTCOME: Increased flexibility through Wells test (around 5 cm), improved functional capacity through the TUG test / Timed Up and Go (mean time less than 10 seconds), reductions in scores on the WOMAC index / Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (from 20 to 30 points in most volunteers) and quality of life assessed by the WHOQOL‐bref (between 70‐80% in physical, mental and social domains) in both exercises after completion programs of interventions. In the control group it is expected to occur no changes in the values of any variable analyzed. SECONDARY OUTCOME: The results in both intervention groups are statistically better (considering p <0.05) than the control group, the following variables: pain, stiffness and function assessed by WOMAC index, flexibility through bank Wells, dynamic balance by means the TUG and quality of life analyzed by WHOQOL‐Bref after the end of treatment. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Volunteers diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis; both genders; age above 60 years.