Author/Authors :
Cimbiz, Ali Dumlupinar University Health Institution of Higher Education - Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation , Bayazit, Vahdettin Dumlupinar University - Faculty of Science and Arts - Departmentof Biology , Hallaceli, Hasan Suleyman Demirel University - Health Institution of Higher Education - Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation , Cavlak, Ugur Pamukkale University - Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation School, Turkey
Abstract :
Objective: The purpose of this study was to exhibit theeffect of combined therapy (spa and physical therapy) onpain in various chronic diseases.Methods: Retrospectively, 472 (58.1% female and41.9% male) spa and physical therapy patients with amean age of 53.4 ± 12.5 years were evaluated during2001-2004 from the archives of Dumlupinar UniversityTUTAV Thermal Cure Center. Before, after therapy andbefore discharging, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain,heart and respiratory rates, systolic and diastolic bloodpressures were measured for hemodynamic evaluations.Results: Arthrosis (230 patient, 48.7%) was found tobe the main problem in our patients. Ankle arthrosis,fibromyalgia and cervical disc herniation were foundwith the highest VAS values compared to otherpathologies before spa therapy (p 0.05). Immediatelyafter spa therapy and before discharge, VAS values werelower than before treatment (p 0.05). Immediately afterspa therapy, the highest decreases in VAS values wereobserved in coxarthrosis and gonarthrosis patients(p 0.05). Coxarthrosis and nonarticular patients had thelowest VAS values before discharge than otherpathologies (p 0.05). No statistical differences werefound between male and female VAS values in all stagesof treatment (p 0.05). Heart and respiratory rate werestatistically increased (p 0.01), diastolic blood pressurewas decreased (p 0.01) but not changed in systolic bloodpressure (p 0.05) immediately after spa therapy. Beforedischarging, all hemodynamic parameters were foundstatistically decreased before treatment and immediatelyafter spa therapy (p 0.01).Conclusion: A combination of spa and physical therapydecreases pain and improves functional capacity withoutany hemodynamic risk in rheumatological, neurologicaland cardiac patients.
