Impact of Aquatic Therapy on Mobility and Quality of Life in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Systematic Review

Abstract

Background

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune condition that affects approximately 1% of the global population, with higher prevalence among women and in developed countries. Hydrotherapy or water-based exercise–is one of the emerging interventions for patient with RA. The current review is aimed to explore intervention outcomes in a range of aquatic therapy modes, for management of RA patients.

Method

Literature searches were done on PubMed, Cochrane, Google Scholar, Medline, and BioMed Central using the keywords: "hydrotherapy", "physical activity," "rehabilitation," "rheumatoid arthritis", "pain," and "quality of life". Those studies published in English from the year 2019 to 2024, examining the efficacy of hydrotherapy in the management of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms have been included. Data extraction was performed using Microsoft Excel, categorizing information by author, year, design, and findings.

Result

Out of 3180 articles search between 2020-2024, five articles, four being randomized controlled trial and one on the cost effect model of hydrotherapy were included. Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the quality of articles. Results showed all 4 trials indicating the better impact of hydrotherapy as compared to land based exercise on quality of life.

Conclusion

Overall, hydrotherapy has been found to be effective in improving QoL, function mobility and reduction of pain for patients with arthritis; continued research is required to improve treatment protocols and broaden the access.