Daly (2010) Aquatic exercises on elderly persons

The problem
– Balneotherapy and spa therapy are common treatments for low back pain.
– The costs are sometimes reimbursed.
– A systematic review found only 5 RCTs. Judged by self reported pain on a visual analogue scale, the treatments were modestly effective (Rheumatology 2006;45: 880-4)

A more important finding is the mismatch between the popularity of these interventions and the paucity of evaluations of their efficiency (BMJ, 2006)

Purpose
Exercise is beneficial for elderly and water is an appropriate environment to exercise, nevertheless no recent review has concentrated on this population and the evidence remains unclear.
Systematically review the literature on the effect of aquatic exercise on function, activity and participation in elderly with and without chronic diseases.