Osteoarthritis is a common disease that causes pain and stiffness in the joints. Recent data from the World Health Organization indicate that osteoarthritis does not only affect older people. The disease can develop in any joint, but it usually occurs in the knees, hips, arms, low back and neck.

Osteoarthritis is the degenerative disease that causes joint inflammation, stiffness, breakdown and gradual loss of joint cartilage. It causes progressive deformation, pain and loss of function of the affected parts. A patient’s lifestyle plays a major role in the development of the disease, and sedentary people are more likely to develop osteoarthritis as they age.

Symptoms may appear gradually in one or more joints. When they develop, they can include pain and stiffness after moving the joint, difficulty moving the affected joint, swelling, loss of muscle mass, and also a cracking sound in the joint.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for the degenerative disease, but it is possible to reduce the pain level and increase the range of motion through various methods of physiotherapy. Some of these procedures are transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), thermotherapy and manual therapy.

The key to controlling the disease and improving the quality of life is in preparing a specialized treatment plan that includes, in addition to physical therapy and kinesitherapeutic exercises. They are strictly individual according to the degree of joint degeneration.

To avoid or delay the beginning of the disease, one of the best prescriptions is for people to practice physical exercise and undertake some kinesitherapeutic techniques that aim to strengthen muscles and joints.

In the specific case, the rehabilitation methods are aimed at the following goals:

– Reduction and relief of pain as well as stiffness of joints

– Increasing of the muscle strength and increased functionality

– Increasing the stability of the joints

– Reduction of unpleasant sensations such as burning, muscle pain and greater sensitivity of the skin

– Improved proprioception.

Daily performance of specialized exercises of moderate intensity is recommended. A physiotherapist/rehabilitator should develop a program for their implementation. An important condition is that the program should be followed according to the specialist’s instructions, so that the joints are not excessively loaded, and swimming and underwater gymnastics are very good choices for the treatment of osteoarthritis.