When your knees won't let you move: A new review points to a treatment that could change the picture

A new review published in the journal Medicina points to hydrotherapy as a treatment that improves function and gait for patients with osteoarthritis. The review included 834 subjects and examined measures of gait, balance, and pain. The researchers reported improvement in most measures among patients who exercised in water.

A new review published in the May 2026 issue of the journal Medicina points to hydrotherapy as a significant treatment for osteoarthritis. The disease, which currently affects about 595 million people worldwide, is expected to approach one billion patients by 2050. The review, conducted by researchers from academic institutions in Romania, included studies with 834 participants and examined the effect of hydrotherapy on measures such as walking speed, step length, balance, ability to rise from a sitting position, climbing stairs, and pain levels. According to the researchers, improvement was noted in most measures among patients who exercised in water. The average age in the groups included in the studies ranged from 54 to 69 years. The review emphasizes that the buoyancy of water reduces the load on the joints and allows movement with lower stress. In Israel, hydrotherapy treatments are provided through health maintenance organizations, and the Bubble Center Association operates therapeutic pools in Ashdod, Safed, and Yad Binyamin.