Materials and Method: 211 patients with OA were asked if they had been previously instructed to exercise, and if so, if they were properly informed about the benefits of exercise and whether they applied the program. Patients not performing the exercise were asked about the reasons of their lack of interest.
Results: 76.8% of the patients reported that they had previously been instructed to exercise, with however 55.9% not being supplied with information on its health benefits. It was found that 36% of patients performed the instructed exercise program. Of the non-performing patients, 56.3% gave at least one reason for their non-performance. The most common reasons for failure were the exercise being fatiguing, boring and painful.
Conclusion: Physicians should provide information on the health benefits of exercise while instructing elderly patients with OA on an exercise program. Causes should be determined and recommendations concerning these should be given, and the patients should be controlled periodically.
Keywords : Osteoarthritis, Elderly,Exercise, Barrier