Article

Hydrothérapie -
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of aquatic exercise on pressure pain
threshold in breast cancer survivors with hormone therapy-associated arthralgia.
DESIGN: Single-blind, controlled trial. SETTING: Two major metropolitan hospitals
and a Sport and Spa Club in Granada, Spain. SUBJECTS: Forty women aged 29-71
years with stage I-III breast cancer who reported arthralgia. INTERVENTION:
Patients were allocated alternately to either aquatic exercise in a chest-high
pool or usual care while on the waiting list; control patients received treatment
later. The two-month hydrotherapy intervention consisted of 24 sessions 3 days
per week. Each session included 5 minutes of warm-up, 15-20 minutes of aerobic
exercise, 15 minutes of mobility exercise and 20 minutes of recovery techniques.
MAIN MEASURES: Pressure pain threshold at neck, shoulder, hand and leg were
evaluated as primary outcomes. Cancer-related fatigue, as measured by the Piper
Fatigue Scale, body mass index and waist circumference were secondary outcomes. A
2 x 2 repeated-measure ANCOVA was used in this study. RESULTS: No adverse events
or development of worsening of pain was observed. Almost all the participants in
the intervention group (89%) adhered to the hydrotherapy programme. Participants
experienced a decrease in pressure pain threshold measured in neck, hand,
shoulder and leg, as measured by algometry pressure, and waist circumference; all
P < 0.05. Cancer-related fatigue (P = 0.06) and body mass index (P = 0.42) did
not show significant improvement. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that
hydrotherapy in a chest-high pool may reduce the pain threshold and waist
circumference in breast cancer survivors with hormone therapy-associated arthralgia.

Langue : ANGLAIS