Eficácia da mobilização articular no tratamento da osteoartrite de joelho em idosos: revisão da literatura

Abstract

Introduction: Osteoarthritis is a chronic-degenerative joint disease, predominant in the elderly population, with the knee joint being one of the most affected. The treatment of knee osteoarthritis may be conservative or surgical. Joint mobilization stands out among the conservative treatment. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of joint mobilization in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in the elderly, through a review of the literature. Methodology: The search was performed in Scielo, PEDro, LILACS, MEDLINE and BIREME databases from 2013 to 2019, in English and Portuguese language. Results: Twenty three studies were selected, of which 9 studies were included. The individuals' age ranged from 35 to 92 years, with the predominance of the elderly, most of them women. In 7 studies, joint mobilization was analyzed in association with another type of conservative treatment and in 2 studies it was assessed in isolation. The most significant effects were observed in the studies that used the joint mobilization associated with another intervention. The effects provided by the treatment were improvement of functional capacity, reduced pain, increased range of motion and gait speed, lower cost with medical assistance. Conclusion: The technique of joint mobilization associated with other types of conservative treatment is effective for knee osteoarthritis clinical improvement in the elderly.