Chronic Low Back Pain, Health Resort Medicine, Older Adults, Quality of Life
Conditions
Keywords
Balneotherapy, Chronic Low Back Pain, Older adults, Health Resort Medicine, Quality of Life, Thermography, Crenotherapy, Balneology
Brief summary
The effectiveness of balneotherapy in relieving chronic low back pain has been scientifically proven. This project aims to study in what extent a Balneotherapy program in São Pedro do Sul Thermal Baths influences chronic low back pain of individuals aged 65 and above, and in what order of magnitude it happens, on which domains (functional, psychological, biophysical and socioeconomic) and it's repercussions. For that, the investigators intended to carry out a project subdivided into two tasks. The first, and the most complex, with a holistic approach, will be carried out by a randomized controlled study (RCT) with focus on the various biopsychosocial domains of patients with chronic lumbar pain. Concerning the second task, another RCT will be carried out aiming for statistically significant changes in the lumbar thermographic maps before and after treatment, as well as the theoretical framework of all the findings.
Interventions
PROCEDUREPhysiotherapy modalities
parafango in the lumbar region 20min/day; High frequency Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), 100 Hz, 0,04-0,2mseg, 20 min/day; lumbar flexibility self-exercise plan
PROCEDUREBalneotherapy modalities
Immersion in a thermal pool with 15 minutes of automatic hydromassage and 15 minutes of spine flexibility exercises; thermal steam treatment to spinal column; hydromassage bath with Vichy thermal water
Sponsors
Universidade do Porto
Aveiro University
Termalistur - Termas de Sao Pedro do Sul, E.M., S.A.
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to 100 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Patient aged 65 and over * Low back pain with or without irradiation to the lower limbs with more than 3 months of evolution * Imaging exam of the lumbar spine that excludes neoplastic pathology or severe structural misalignments * Availability to carry out a 14-day treatment plan
Exclusion criteria
* Can't read and write * History of fracture, surgery, infection or neoplasm in the spine * Scoliosis with a cobb angle \>20 * Lower limb muscle strength or vesico-sphincter changes * Fever, history of recent violent trauma, unexplained weight loss, night sweats, or persistent night pain * Others: unstable angina pectoris, poorly controlled hypertension, cardiac decompensation, respiratory failure, endocrine disorder, acute febrile condition, skin infections, fecal or urinary incontinence and psychosis or decompensated neurosis
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Numerical Rating Scale | two weeks | Pain assessment; From 0 (minimum - better) to 10 (maximum - worse) |
| Oswestry Disability Index, version 2.0 | two weeks | Functional assessment; From 0% (minimum - better) to 100% (maximum - worse) |
| The Short Form-36 | two weeks | Quality of life assessment; From 0 (minimum - worse) to 100 (maximum - better) |
| Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale | two weeks | Depression assessment; From 0 (minimum - better) to 60 (maximum - worse) |
| Satisfaction with life scale - 5 items version | two weeks | Satisfaction with life scale assessment; From 5 (minimum - worse) to 35 (maximum - better) |
| International Physical Activity Questionnaire - short version | two weeks | Physical activity assessment; low values (worse) vs high values (better) |
| Fatigue Assessment Scale | two weeks | Fatigue assessment; From 10 (minimum - better) to 50 (maximum - worse) |
| Dolorimeter | two weeks | Pain assessment; low values (worse) vs high values (better) |
Countries
Portugal
Outcome results
None listed