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The Efficiency of Spa Rehabilitation in Chronic Ischemic Stroke Patients-Preliminary Reports
Bogumiła Pniak1, Justyna Leszczak2, Jadwiga Kurczab1
1Excelsior Health and Rehabilitation Hospital, Aleja Torosiewicza 2, 38-440 Iwonicz-Zdrój, Poland.
Background:
Rehabilitation-oriented therapy after a stroke must continue in various forms as a life-long effort.
Aim:
The study investigated the impact of spa rehabilitation on the quality of life and functional efficiency in patients after an ischemic stroke at a chronic stage of recovery.
Methods:
The assessment was carried out in a spa resort in southeastern Poland. It involved 32 patients with strokes who participated in a three-week rehabilitation program. Three examinations were performed: upon admission, on the day of discharge and at a two-month follow-up. The quality of life and functional efficiency were assessed with the WHOQOL-BREF and Barthel Index.
Results:
The quality of life was significantly higher in Exam II compared with Exam I (p < 0.001), and improvement was retained at the follow-up. The Barthel scores were higher in Exam II compared with Exam I (79.84 vs. 68.59), while the differences between the scores in Exams II and III were small (p = 0.039).
Conclusions:
Three-week spa rehabilitation seems to favorably affect the functional efficiency and quality of life after a stroke. The effects appear to be long-term. The gender, age and time from stroke onset do not seem to impact short-term effects. However, long-term effects are related to the time from stroke onset.
