A systematic observational study in hospital practice: Patient-reported changes after hydrotherapy

Abstract

The aim of the study was to systematically evaluate oral feedback from patients with musculoskeletal pain about health related changes after hydrotherapy once a week. Design and setting: Referred patients were successively put into two parallel groups and were tested using validated questionnaires directly before and after a four month standard secondary health care hospital treatment. The treatment took place at Levanger Hospital, 80 km north of Trondheim, Norway. Materials and intervention: The 121 patients, mean age of 55 and 73% female, were referred from primary and secondary health care to hydrotherapy at the hospital. They were divided into two main groups: 1) musculoskeletal disorder (MSK-group) and 2) rheumatism diagnosis (REV-group). These two main groups were divided into smaller groups, which trained once a week for four months. Method: The main outcomes were pain, stiffness and function. The first two were separately measured with visual analogue scale (VAS), and function was measured using Functional Status Assessment Charts (COOP-WONCA). We analysed statistical significance and size of change in each group. Results: We didn’t find significant differences in the main outcomes for the groups, and the changes in percentage varied from 0-19%. The changes were not considered clinically relevant. Conclusion: The study indicates that patient improvement after treatment is minor. According to randomized controlled trials, programmes that include more frequent training seem to give substantially better results.

Keywords

• Hydrotherapy
• Musculoskeletal disorder
• Patient experience
• Physical therapy speciality
• Physical therapy modalities