Background

An increasingly aging population implies an increasing prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) of hip or knee. It has been ascertained that unspecific hydrotherapy of OA according to Sebastian Kneipp not only improves the range of mobility but also reduces pain significantly and increases the quality of life of the patients affected. 

Objective

The main aim of this pilot study was to determine the effects of hydrotherapy in comparison to conventional physiotherapy, and to analyze the feasibility of the study design under clinical circumstances.

Design, Setting, Participants and interventions

The study design is a prospective randomized controlled three-arm clinical pilot trial, carried out at a specialist clinic for integrative medicine. Thirty patients diagnosed with symptomatic OA of hip or knee and radiologic findings were randomly assigned to one of two intervention groups and a control group: hydrotherapy (group 1), physiotherapy (group 2), and both physiotherapy and hydrotherapy (group 3, control group) of the affected joint.

Main Outcome Measures

Primary outcome: pain intensity of the affected joint in the course of inpatient treatment; secondary outcome: health-related quality of life, joint-specific pain and mobility in the course of the study. 

Results

Concerning the main outcome, intervention group 1 showed most beneficial effects in the course of inpatient treatment, followed by groups 3 and 2, and also the indirect flexion ability of hip or knee together with the general patient mobility through the “timed up and go” test were mainly improved within group 1 followed by groups 3 and 2. 

Conclusion

The results of this pilot study demonstrate beneficial effects of hydrotherapy. The study design is feasible. For statistically significant evidence and a robust conclusion of efficacy of Kneipp’s hydrotherapy, a larger sample size is necessary.

Trial Registration Number

NCT 00950326.

Objective

This study investigated the acceptability and effectiveness of acupuncture for persistent musculoskeletal pain in the elderly and assessed the conditions for a future controlled trial.

Methods

A total of 60 patients, hospitalized in a geriatric hospital were enrolled. The intervention consisted of eight acupuncture sessions. The main outcome was the patient’s participation rate. Regarding pain, the evaluation was based on pre- and post-treatment variations. As a high proportion of the patients had cognitive impairment, the behavioral pain scale DOLOPLUS-2 was chosen although self evaluation was used wherever possible.

Results

The mean age of the patients was 83 years. The acceptance rate was very high (89.6%) and 90% of the patients completed the entire course of treatment. After five weeks, the mean DOLOPLUS score had decreased significantly (P<0.01). The patients reported improved sleep quality and a reduction in their anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, caregivers noticed a decrease in patient aggressiveness making care easier.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that acupuncture is highly acceptable and could be very useful in the management of chronic pain when performed in very old frail people with chronic physical and mental disability.

Trial Registration Identifier

NCT01043692 ClinicalTrials.gov.

Objective

The present study aimed at investigating the effects of curcumin on the motor coordination and the estimate of the total number of cerebellar Purkinje cells of adolescent Wistar rats exposed to ethanol.

Methods

The total of 21 male Wistar rats aged 37 d old were divided into three groups, namely ethanol, ethanol-curcumin, and control groups. The ethanol group received 1.5 g/kg ethanol injected intraperitoneally and water given per oral; the ethanol-curcumin group received 1.5 g/kg ethanol injected intraperitoneally and curcumin extract given per oral; the control group received saline injection and oral water. The treatment was carried out daily for one month, after which the motor coordination performance of the rats was examined using revolving drum apparatus at test days 1, 8, and 15. The rats were finally sacrificed and the cerebellum of the rats was further processed for stereological analysis. The estimate of the total number of Purkinje cells was calculated using physical fractionator method.

Results

The ethanol-curcumin group performed better than both ethanol and control groups in the motor coordination ability at day 8 of testing (P<0.01). No Purkinje cell loss was observed as a result of one month intraperitoneal injection of ethanol.

Conclusion

Curcumin may exert beneficial effects on the motor coordination of adolescent rats exposed to ethanol via undetermined hormetic mechanisms.