Implementation of the Vienna Hydrotherapy Group for Laryngectomees--a pilot study

• Published in: Supportive care in cancer 2003-11, Vol.11 (11), p.735-738
• Main Authors: Crevenna, R, Schneider, B, Mittermaier, C, Keilani, M, Zöch, C, Nuhr, M, Wolzt, M, Quittan, M, Bigenzahn, W, Fialka-Moser, V
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Austria; Exercise Therapy - methods; Humans; Hydrotherapy - methods; Hydrotherapy - psychology; Laryngectomy - rehabilitation; Male; Middle Aged; Older people; Pain Measurement; Physical Endurance; Pilot Projects; Quality of Life; Sickness Impact Profile; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 0941-4355; 1433-7339
• DOI: 10.1007/s00520-003-0516-y

Laryngectomy involves several problems for the individual, such as the need to cope with a stoma, adjustment to tracheostomal breathing, and the formation of a voice. Contact with water, resulting in aspiration, may prove fatal for laryngectomized patients in the absence of appropriate aids. The aim of this pilot study was to conduct a hydrotherapy group for laryngectomized patients and to evaluate its feasibility and outcome in relation to the goals of therapy. Six male patients who had undergone laryngectomy were included in a pilot study. The patients underwent a structured hydrotherapy rehabilitation program (three times a week for 8 weeks), using a special underwater therapy device. The patients' posture was controlled by posturography and their endurance capacity by standard ergometry and the 6-min walk. The parameters of fatigue, expectoration, mobility, elasticity/flexibility, postural control/coordination, and general well being were registered on a visual analog scale (VAS). Quality of life was assessed by having the patients fill out the German version of the SF-36 Health Survey. Posturograpy findings showed an improvement of two subtests ( p