The most recent literature reports that the incidence of atypical fractures is 0.6 %. However, taking into consideration only the fracture locations suitable for the identification of atypical fractures, the percentage rises to 5 %. To date, there is still no clarity on the exact etiology of fractures even if it seems to be related to a bone mineral component alteration.
SummaryOsteoporosis (OP) is a silent disease unless a fracture occurs; it is a major health problem, mainly due to fragility fractures, that occur at vertebral and peripheral sites. Vertebral fractures (VF) are probably the most common fragility fractures, but they go often unrecognized. The main clinical symptoms of VF are acute and chronic back pain, spinal deformity, reduced mobility and impaired quality of life. They are frequently associated with other fragility fractures. We examined 478 patients at our outpatient clinic, who were referred for fragility fracture occurrence. The most common fragility fractures was hip fractures. However, after execution of spine X-rays in patients who had sustained hip fracture, we found that a large proportion of them had VF, which had not been reported in their medical history.
Clinical trials have demonstrated traditional spa therapy effects in musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This is the first observational study in Italy aimed at evaluating in real-life the short-time effects of spa rehabilitation on pain, mood and quality of life (QoL) among degenerative or post-surgery MSDs patients. Through the involvement of six Italian spa facilities, 160 patients were enrolled; data from 123 patients were finally analysed. Seventy-nine patients (64.3%) accessed the spa for degenerative MSDs, while 44 (35.8%) had a post-surgical condition. All the patients included in the study underwent 12 sessions of water-based exercise (joint exercises, muscle strengthening, gait training, proprioceptive and balance techniques) conducted in thermal or in warm water pools, six sessions per week, for a period of 2 weeks from March 2019 up to October 2019. A group of 45 patients (36.6%) also received traditional thermal therapies, including 12 mud therapy sessions and 12 thermal baths, six times each week, for 2 weeks. Evaluation before and after the treatment included the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) and the EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D). The analysis of the scores reported in the questionnaires after the treatment showed a significant improvement in all the scores evaluated. Comparison between patients that performed water-based exercise protocols alone (group A) and patients that in addition to water exercise performed traditional thermal interventions (group B) showed no statistically significant differences in NRSp, NRSa, NRSm, SF-12 PCS, SF-12 MCS and EQ-5D variations; only NRSa value reduction was lower in group B. Sulphate water was found to be associated with a lower reduction of all the scores considered, when compared to the other water types. Patients with degenerative or post-surgery MSDs showed favourable effects on pain, mood and QoL after water exercise training alone or in combination with traditional thermal therapy. Our research provides the first proof that spa rehabilitation can be in real-life conditions an appropriate alternative strategy for post-orthopaedic surgical outcomes recovery. In the future, these results will need to be further investigated.
BACKGROUND: Adherence to treatment is one of the most common problems in patients suffering from chronic disease such as osteoporosis, and special commitment is required to patients, especially regarding rehabilitation. There is increasing evidence that physical interventions aimed at relieving pain and reducing physical impairments could play a crucial role in improving the quality of life and reducing the risk of fractures in patients with severe osteoporosis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the compliance and determine the acceptability of a home-self-managed exercises program in patients with vertebral fractures, one of the most frequent and serious consequences of osteoporosis. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients undergoing a home exercise program, monitoring them with clinical scales, questionnaires, and routine visits. RESULTS: 62.86% of the patients were compliant with the treatment; the absence of supervision by health personnel was the primary cause of non-compliance, followed by the lack of time and the lack of motivation. Compliant patients showed a significant reduction in lumbar pain (p 0.011), an improvement in posture with a reduction of dorsal kyphosis (occipital-wall distance T0-T1, p-value = 0.02) and an improvement in QoL (p-value = 0.001) and physical performance at the 20 m walking test (p-value = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: A home exercise program is feasible and could improve signs and symptoms in patients with vertebral fractures due to OP.
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