Gliga (2022) Effects of Adding Aquatic-to-Land-Based Physiotherapy Programs for Shoulder Joint Position Sense Rehabilitation

Summary: Enhancing Shoulder Joint Position Sense with Aquatic and Land-Based Physiotherapy

Aquatic and Land-Based Physiotherapy for Shoulder Rehabilitation

This study by Gliga et al. explored the effects of adding aquatic exercises to land-based physiotherapy for rehabilitating shoulder joint position sense (JPS). Forty-four participants with post-traumatic shoulder injuries were divided into two groups: a control group receiving standard land-based physiotherapy and an experimental group receiving additional aquatic therapy. The interventions lasted four weeks, with sessions five times a week​​.

Methodology and Participant Compliance

Participants engaged in a variety of exercises targeting muscle strength, proprioception, and motor control. The experimental group received 30 extra minutes of personalized aquatic therapy per session. Compliance was high among participants, with the majority fully adhering to the program​​.

Findings: Impact on Shoulder Joint Position Sense

Post-intervention assessments showed significant improvements in shoulder JPS for both groups across all movement positions. However, no significant differences were observed between the control and experimental groups. This suggests that while physiotherapy is effective in improving shoulder JPS, the addition of aquatic exercises does not offer extra benefits in this context​​.

Conclusions and Implications

The study concludes that personalized physiotherapy significantly enhances shoulder JPS in individuals with post-traumatic injuries. The lack of additional benefits from aquatic therapy, however, indicates that standard land-based therapy alone is sufficient for shoulder JPS rehabilitation. This finding is crucial for developing efficient rehabilitation programs for shoulder injuries​​.

Keyphrase: Enhancing Shoulder Joint Position Sense with Aquatic and Land-Based Physiotherapy

Keywords: shoulder joint position sense, aquatic therapy, land-based physiotherapy, post-traumatic shoulder injuries, rehabilitation, proprioception, motor control, muscle strength.

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