Effect of Alternating Cooling and Heating Whirlpool Bath on Patients with Shoulder-hand Syndrome in Stage I after Stroke / 中国康复理论与实践

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effect of alternating cooling and heating whirlpool bath on patients with shoulder-hand syn-drome in stage I after stroke. Methods 60 patients with shoulder-hand syndrome in stage I after stroke were randomly divided into control group (n=30) and observation group (n=30). The control group received comprehensive rehabilitation training including exercise therapy, concentric winding, joint mobilization and ideation training, 30 minutes every time, twice a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. The observation group received alternating cooling (12~15℃) and heating (37~43℃) whirlpool bath treatment 20 minutes every time in addition, twice a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), hand drainage volume, modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Fugl-Meyer Assess-ment (FMA) and Barthel Index (BI) were used to assess the upper limb pain, the degree of edema, muscle tension, motor function and activi-ties of daily living. Results Before treatment, there was no significant difference in the scores of VAS, MAS, FMA and BI, and the hand drainage volume between 2 groups (P>0.05). 4 weeks after treatment, all the indexes improved in both groups (P<0.05), and were better in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.01). Conclusion The effect of alternating cooling and heating whirlpool bath may fur-ther improve the symptoms of shoulder-hand syndrome in stage I after stroke.