Hydrokineáothempy in the treatment of women with abromyalgia: a case study

Abstract

This study aimed at verifying the effectiveness of hydrokinesiotherapy
in lessening symptoms in women with fibromyalgia. This syndrome brings about physical limitations due to the chronic character of pain, intervening with patients' health and quality of life. It generally affects women in professionally active age, bringing social and psychological setbacks, hence the importance to search means of reducing the impact of the syndrome in patients' lives. Hydrokinesiotherapy was chosen due to its allowing for pain reduction and increase in joint movement. It was applied to four women with fibromyalgia diagnosis, selected among patients of the Clinical School of Physical Therapy of the Universidade Católica Dom Bosco in Campo Grande, MS. Patients were submitted to 11 collective sessions of hydrokinesiotherapy, three times a week along approximately one month. Patients were evaluated by the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), tender point analysis, and a quality of life questionnaire, according to W H O criteria. Pain was measured by an analogical visual scale of pain before and after each session. Statistically treated resulting data show that the technique was effective in reducing both painful tender points and pain as indicated on the analogical visual scale, having as well improved patients' subjective view ont their quality of life. This suggests that hydrokinesiotherapy can be successfully used to lessen symptomatology in women with fibromyalgia.