The effects of combined aquatic and occupational therapies in older adults with osteoarthritis

Details

• Personal Author:
  Chetlin RD ; Hobbs G ; Palermo L ; Sherlock L
• Description:
  Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of articular degeneration, primarily affecting weight bearing joints (e.g. knee, hips). OA results in health care costs exceeding 80 billion dollars/year. PURPOSE: To examine outcome differences between occupational therapy treatment alone (OT) and combined OT and aquatic therapy (OT-AT) treatments in older adults with OA. METHODS: Retrospective chart review evaluating subjective OA data from a local inpatient rehab hospital. We examined 27 charts of OA patients (21 women, 6 men; mean age=78 +/-12y) treated at this facility, who received OT with (n=12) or without (n=15) concurrent AT. Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores were examined in OA patients who received OT or OTAT. ANCOVA was used to determine outcome differences between patient groups, controlling for age, gender, and BMI. The Pearson product moment correlation was used to determine relationships between demographic and performance variables. RESULTS: OT-AT resulted in a higher percentage of possible improvement in: lower body dressing (76 +/- 8 vs. 54 +/- 7, p<0.05); stairs (55 +/- 8 vs. 31 +/- 8, p<0.05), and; toileting (80 +/- 9 vs. 48 +/- 8, p<0.01). OT-AT was significantly correlated with higher discharge FIM scores in: grooming (r=0.42, p=0.03); upper body dressing (r=0.44, p=0.02); lower body dressing (r=0.52, p=0.006); toileting (r=0.55, p=0.003); stairs (r=0.37, p=0.05), and; total FIM points (r=-0.42, p=0.03). Higher age was inversely correlated to lower discharge FIM scores in: grooming (r=-0.60, p=0.001); upper body dressing (r=-0.60, p=0.001); lower body dressing (r=-0.51, p=0.007); toileting (r=-0.49, p=0.01); toilet transfer (r=-0.45, p=0.02); bed/chair transfer (r=-0.61, p=0.001), and; total FIM points (r=-0.51, p=0.006). CONCLUSIONS: OT-AT improved discharge functional outcomes in OA patients (e.g. lower body dressing, stairs, toileting) beyond OT alone. Age was inversely related to some discharge FIM scores, indicating that older OA patients may not respond to OT-AT as well as their younger counterparts. Future research should include multiple facilities nationwide to determine regional impact of combined therapy on FIM outcomes. Additionally, future studies should examine if an age threshold is needed to determine optimal OT-AT effectiveness in the treatment of OA patients. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Demography Men Occupational Health Safety Women
• Keywords:
  Age Groups BMI Body Mass Index Demographic Characteristics Humans Performance Capability Therapeutic Agents Treatment
• ISSN:
  0195-9131
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  45
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049484
• Citation:
  Med Sci Sports Exerc 2013 May; 45(Suppl 1 5S):644
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Performing Organization:
  West Virginia University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
• Supplement:
  1 5S
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f47c55472f163aa3669973569aa74639c9ca4a9df92f9596ef42cd089c5de338911e2a5fadccab8d1f4415d35ca1bfb94e13b71245f2cfaf5cc52f0a5213f191
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/203925/cdc_203925_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 58.59 KB ]