earticle

영어

The aim of this study was to systematically review the scientific literature describing the effects of water-based exercise on pain and physical function in older, community-dwelling women with osteoarthritis in South Korea. Older people often experience osteoarthritis, which is characterized by reduced muscle and bone density; water-based exercise has been used to reduce pain and improve physical function in these individuals. Despite evidence from many countries supporting the benefits of water- based exercise for alleviating osteoarthritis, there is no collated information on this topic in South Koreans or on medical insurance coverage for water-based exercise programs in South Korea. The PubMed, SCOPUS, Korea Science Korean Studies Service System, National Assembly Library of Korea, and Research Information Sharing Service databases and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) were systematically searched for relevant studies published between January1995 and December 2016. The following search terms were used: ‘water exercise’, ‘older’, ‘osteoarthritis’, ‘ pain’, ‘physical function’, and ‘South Korea’. Study quality was determined by using the PEDro scale. Seven of the 256 retrieved articles met the inclusion criteria. Analysis of the results of the selected studies indicated that water-based exercise reduced pain and improved physical function in older, community-dwelling women with osteoarthritis in South Korea. This review documents the positive effects of water-based exercise on osteoarthritis-related pain and physical function in older women in South Korea. The findings presented indicate that water-based exercise could be helpful for older women with osteoarthritis and should be considered as a means of reducing pain and increasing physical function in standard clinical research programs.