Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive disease of the synovial joints that causes joint pain and limitation of function resulting in considerable morbidity and impairment of quality of life. Knee OA is the most common type of OA, and symptomatic knee OA is highly prevalent among people aged over 50 years. With the increasing aging population, worldwide prevalence of knee OA is expected to be rising. The goals of treatment are to reduce pain, maintain or improve joint mobility, minimize functional impairment and improve quality of life. When conservative management, which includes structured land-based exercise programs, aquatic exercise, education and appropriate analgesic medications, fails, surgical approach can be considered. Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has become an alternative to TKA in cases of end-stage OA that are limited to a single compartment. Patients who underwent UKA have a quicker recovery, lower risk of complications, and improved range of motion. Physiotherapy rehabilitation is an integral part of good knee arthroplasty outcome. Conventional post-operative physiotherapy rehabilitation, which includes range of motion exercises, muscle strengthening exercises, balance and gait training, have been shown to have improvement in range of motion, muscle strength and functional outcome measures of patients. Recently, hydrotherapy is gaining its popularity as being incorporated into one of the components in the rehabilitation after knee arthroplasty. Studies reported that hydrotherapy could decrease pain, and improved physical function, strength and quality of life for patients after total hip or knee arthroplasty. However, there are no studies to investigate the effect of hydrotherapy on patients after UKA. With the increasing popularity of UKA as a surgical alternative in patients with end-stage single-compartmental OA, it is worth investigating the effects of hydrotherapy on the clinical outcomes of patients following UKA.
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Knee Society Function Score (KFS)
Timeframe: Baseline (Before surgery), Post-op 6 months, Post-op 1 year