Objective:

To analyse the current literature on the effects of hydrotherapy on pain in people diagnosed with osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia.

Methodology:

The search for information for the literature review was carried out using the following databases: PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar, Scielo and Clinicalkey, comprised between 2010 and 2021, although the articles chosen range from 2011 onwards, taking into account the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 articles were chosen for the review, selecting 11 for fibromyalgia and 9 for osteoarthritis.

Results:

The structure of the interventions were similar with a duration of 45 to 60 minutes, starting with joint mobility or stretching, then general strengthening or aerobic exercise, and ending with stretching. In the fibromyalgia articles a significant improvement on pain was found in 90.9 % of the studies and 88.8 % for the osteoarthritis studies.

Conclusions:

Hydrotherapy has short-term benefits on pain in fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis.

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