Influence of an Aquatic Therapy Program on Perceived Pain, Stress, and Quality of Life in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Randomized Trial

Sagrario Pérez- de la Cruz
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Sagrario Pérez- de la Cruz: Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almería, La Cañada de San Urbano, 04120 Almería, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-12

Abstract: Pain and depressive states may have a negative impact on the quality of life of individuals with stroke. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a program of Ai Chi aquatic therapy on pain, depression, and quality of life in a sample of people with stroke. Forty-five participants received physiotherapy treatment on dry land (control group), an experimental group received aquatic Ai Chi therapy, and a combined therapy group received alternating sessions of physiotherapy on dry land and aquatic Ai Chi therapy. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scale for pain, the resilience scale, and the SF-36 quality of life scale were used as outcome measures. Statistically significant differences were found in the experimental group and the combined intervention group for post treatment pain and resilience ( p < 0.001). Concerning the SF-36, statistically significant changes ( p < 0.01) were found in the experimental group and the combined therapy group for all items except general health, vitality, and social function, where no between group differences were observed ( p = 0.001). In conclusion, physical exercise performed in water has positive effects on several factors that contribute towards improving the mood and quality of life of people with acquired brain injury.

Keywords: stroke; Ai Chi; aquatic therapy; pain; quality of life (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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