Effect of Immersion Level on Respiratory Function of Spinal Cord Injury Patients During Balneotherapy

Centre d'Investigation Clinique et Technologique 80515 enrolled

Overview

Balneotherapy is a physiotherapy technique which allows patients to work out in a weightless environment and which is often used in patients with spinal cord injury. In normal subjects, water immersion generates a reduction in lung volumes. The effects of water immersion on the respiratory function of spinal cord injury patient (who are liable to present a respiratory failure secondary to paralysis) are not well known. They could be deleterious (by majoring respiratory failure)or beneficial (by mimicking the effect of a corset and improving respiratory function). Therefore, we are planning to study the effect of different water immersion levels on the respiratory function of spinal cord injury patients.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Spinal Cord Injury

Interventions

Water immersion at cervical level

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Adult Patient * complete tetraplegia from spinal cord injury * initial spinal cord injury at leat 3 months before study Exclusion Criteria: * contra indication to a balneotherapy session (bed-sore, skin infection or irritation, urinary or fecal incontinency, tracheostomy, ongoing infection) * unstable respiratory state (patient free of respiratory infection or encumbrance) * refusal to participate to the protocol * pregnancy

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Lung volumes

Measurement of lung volumes (Vital capacity, Forced Expiratory volume at 1 second and total lung capacity) measured by standard pulmonary function test

Time frame: 1 hour

Secondary Outcomes

Respiratory comfort

Respiratory comfort is evaluated with a visual analogical scale (ranked from 0 to 10) and the Borg dyspnea score