Article

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of a two-month intensive aquatic therapy
programme on back pain, disability, quality of life, body composition and
health-related fitness in sedentary adults with chronic low back pain.
DESIGN: Controlled clinical trial.
SETTING: Community. SUBJECTS: Forty-nine sedentary
patients with chronic low back pain. INTERVENTIONS:
Patients were allocated into
active group (n = 24, two months, five times/week) or waiting list, control group
(n = 25) according to space on the programme. MAIN MEASURES: Outcomes variables
were pain (visual analogue scale), disability (Oswestry Disability Index),
quality of life (Quality Short-Form Health Survey 36), body composition (weight,
body mass index, body fat percentage and skeletal muscle mass) and health-related
fitness (sit-and-reach, handgrip strength, curl-up, Rockport 1-mile test).
RESULTS: The active group significantly improved low back pain (-3.83 +/- 0.35 mm
on the visual analogue scale ), disability (-12.7 +/- 1.3 points for the Oswestry
Disability Index) and the standardized physical component (10.3 +/- 1.4 points
for the Quality Short-Form Health Survey 36) of quality-of-life domains (P <
0.001), with no significant changes on the standardized mental component (P =
0.114). In relation to body composition and fitness, the active group showed
significant improvements (all P-values < 0.01).
The control group presented no
significant change in any parameter. CONCLUSIONS:
A two-month intensive aquatic
therapy programme of high-frequency (five times/week) decreases levels of back
pain and disability, increases quality of life, and improves body composition and
health-related fitness in sedentary adults with chronic low back pain.

Langue : ANGLAIS