[Health education and health training with osteoarthritis]

Abstract

Osteoarthrosis is one of the most prevalent diseases in orthopedics. Its impact for the individual patient as well as for the socio-economic system is enormous. An increasing loss of function and pain progress of disease leads to chronic handicap, which severely restricts freedom of a self-determined life and reduces quality of life. Besides conservative and later surgical treatment, health-inducing offers to patients with arthrosis deformans have gained more importance in the process of coping with the illness similar to other chronic diseases. Health education and exercise are supposed to help patients gain more theoretical and practical knowledge of the disease and foster a more positive attitude in order to improve self management. The effect of patient educating programs with respect to self-help activities and socio-economic savings (return to work, days of hospital treatment) could be verified during recent years in many cases of chronic disease, such as rheumatic disease, diabetes and asthma through prospective multicenter studies. Whether special health training in osteoarthrosis leads to similar effects is subject of current studies.