Article

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects on gait and balance of aquatic physiotherapy
versus on-land training, in the context of an inpatient rehabilitation treatment
tailored for peripheral neuropathies. DESIGN:
Parallel-group, single-center,
single-blind randomized controlled trial.
SUBJECTS : Consecutive
patients affected by peripheral neuropathy admitted in our Neuro-Rehabilitation
Unit. INTERVENTIONS: Patients received a four-week rehabilitation program
composed by daily sessions of conventional physiotherapy and three sessions/week
of specific treatment (aquatic vs. on-land). MAIN MEASURES: Primary outcome
measures were Berg Balance Scale and Dynamic Gait Index. Secondary outcome
measures were Neuropathic Pain Scale, Overall Neuropathy Limitations Scale,
Functional Independence Measure, Functional Ambulation Classification, Conley
Scale and Medical Research Council Scale score for the strength of hip and ankle
flexor and extensor muscles.
For each scale, we calculated the difference between
the scores at discharge and admission and compared it between the two groups.
RESULTS: Forty patients were enrolled: 21 in the water-based rehabilitation group
and 19 in the land-based one. Patients were similar between groups. When
comparing the groups, we found that "in-water" patients had a significant better
improvement in the Dynamic Gait Index score (6.00 (4.00, 7.25) vs. 4.00 (1.25,
6.00), P = 0.0433). On the opposite, the "on-land" group showed a better
improvement of the Functional Ambulation Classification score (1.0 (0.75, 1.0)
vs. 1.0 (1.0, 2.0), P = 0.0386). CONCLUSION: Aquatic physiotherapy showed an
effect comparable to the land-based rehabilitation on gait and balance
dysfunctions of neuropathic patients.

Langue : ANGLAIS