Hydrotherapy Aids Osteoarthritis

Hydrotherapy improves strength and mobility in patients with osteoarthritis, research suggests.

I. ( 1 ) The study carried out by a team from Flinders University, South Australia and published in
the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. Also says they would benefit from much higher
intensity exercise than currently recommended. Those who used water therapy were able to walk
better afterwards, and their muscle strength improved.

II. A hundred patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip were randomly assigned to three
different programs ( 5 ) lasting for six weeks. All were over 50, with the average age being 70. One
group of 35 exercised three times a week in a swimming pool, while a second group of 35 did the
same amount of exercise in a gym. The remainder received fortnightly phone calls to monitor their
health, but did not take part in any exercise program.

III. The hydrotherapy group had more severe symptoms than those in the other groups. But
despite this, walking speed and distance improved significantly in both exercise groups, compared
with the group taking no exercise. The gym ( 10 ) group significantly increased thigh muscle
(quadriceps) strength in both legs. Hydrotherapy did not have such a pronounced effect, but it did
improve the strength of the left thigh muscle. It also helped to ease pain considerably.

IV. Walking vital. The researchers emphasize that improving walking ability is extremely important
in patients with osteoarthritis because it increases and maintains independence. Increased muscle
strength around affected joints not only helps to make them more stable, It also helps to absorb
the shock of movement more effectively. This should help ( 15 ) to prevent further deterioration.

V. The researchers say the benefit of hydrotherapy is that it increases cardiovascular fitness and
allows patients to exercise with greater intensity than would be positive on land. This may be
particularly important for people with severe forms of the disease. “Patients with severe
osteoarthritis who find it painful to bear weight for extended periods may find that water provides
the appropriate environment in which they can exercise at intensities that may confer significant
( 20 ) health benefits,” they say.

VI. They also point out that the intensity, volume, and frequency of activity in both exercise groups
were considerably higher than current recommendations laid down by the American Geriatrics
Society, and the normal exercise programs offered by the hospital at which the patients were
being treated. They say their findings suggest that higher intensity exercise can safely be
prescribed for patients with osteoarthritis.

VII. ( 25 ) Keep active. A spokeswoman for the UK Arthritis Research Campaign told BBC News
Online: “We have said for a long time that the worst thing people with Osteoarthritis can do is to
sit around doing nothing because the muscles around the joints become weaker: they start to feel
tired and it becomes a vicious circle.” “Hydrotherapy is a fantastic way of exercising because it gets
the heart and lungs going and it also strengthens the muscles and joints without putting them
under too much pressure.”
VII. ( 30 ) “ If more family medicine doctors prescribed hydrotherapy instead of NSAIDs (non-
steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) , many people with osteoarthritis would feel a great deal
better. We would like to see them be a lot more proactive in keeping their patients with
osteoarthritis as active as possible.” “Some people are afraid that exercise will wear out their
joints more quickly, but along with losing weight it is the best thing they can do for themselves.”

Lee el texto y contesta los ejercicios.

Hydrotherapy Aids Osteoarthritis

I. ¿A quién o qué sustituyen o hacen referencia los siguientes elementos?

1. They ( L 2 ) _______El equipo de la Universidad de Flinders.___________________

2. Their ( L 7 ) ________________El resto de los pacientes.______________________

3. It ( L 11 ) ____La hidroterapia.___________________________________________

4. Them ( L 14 ) ________Articulaciones afectadas.____________________________

5. which ( L 19 ) _________El agua._________________________________________

6. They ( L 21 ) _________Los investigadores._________________________________

7. their ( L 32 ) ______Médicos de medicina familiar.___________________________

II. Escribe en español las siguientes frases sombreadas en el texto.

8. L 2 would benefit __________Beneficiarían.________________________________

9. L 4 were randomly assigned _____Fueron aleatoriamente asignados.____________

10. L 10 did not have _____No tuvo._________________________________________

11. L 14 should help _____Debería ayudar.____________________________________

12. L 18 may find _____________Pueden encontrar.____________________________

13. L 23 were being treated _____Estaban siendo tratados._______________________

14. L 25/26 have said ___________Hemos dicho._______________________________

15. L 33 will wear out ______Desgaste._______________________________________

III. ¿Qué cifras están relacionadas con la siguiente información?

16. Frecuencia de las llamadas de monitoreo a pacientes sin rutina de ejercicios.__15 días.______

17. Edad promedio de pacientes en el estudio. _____En promedio_70 años.__________________

18. Pacientes que no hicieron ningún tipo de ejercicio. ______30 pacientes.__________________

IV. Completa en español las siguientes oraciones con los comparativos subrayados en el texto.

19. L 23 higher---- Sus resultados sugieren que___el ejercicio más intenso_______puede ser
prescrito de manera segura a pacientes con osteoporosis.

20. L26 The worst -----Lo peor que una persona con Osteoartritis _______ puede hacer es sentarse
sin hacer nada.

V. Proporciona en español la información que se te pide.

21. La idea principal del párrafo dos. ____100 personas con osteoartritis de rodilla fueron
asignados aleatoriamente a tres programas diferentes que duraron 6 semanas.________________

22. Una idea de apoyo del párrafo cuatro. __El aumento de la fuerza muscular alrededor de las
articulaciones afectadas, no solo ayuda a hacerlas más estables, sino que también ayuda a
absorber el impacto del movimiento de manera más efectiva.______________________________

23. Información sobre uno de los beneficios de la hidroterapia según los investigadores. _____Que
aumenta la aptitud cardiovascular y permite a los pacientes hacer ejercicio con mayor intensidad._

VI. Escribe la idea que le falta a cada conector.

24.__Un grupo de 35 personas hacía ejercicio tres veces por semana en una piscina____________
mientras que un segundo grupo hizo la misma cantidad de ejercicio en un gimnasio.

25. Si más doctores de medicina familiar prescribieran la hidroterapia en vez de medicina

antiinflamatoria,____muchas personas con osteoartritis se sentirían mucho mejor._____________