Effect of Hydrotherapy on Multiple Sclerosis

December 2, 2025 updated by: Konstantinos Chandolias, University of Thessaly

Effect of Hydrotherapy on the Balance and Fatigue of Multiple Sclerosis Patients

The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of a hydrotherapy program on the balance and fatigue of patients with multiple sclerosis. it is a fact that hydrotherapy has an effect on the rehabilitation and treatment of people with balance problems.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

26 patients with multiple sclerosis participated in the present research, who were divided into 2 intervention groups, one in the sea and one on land. The intervention program had a duration of 2 months with a frequency of 2 times a week for both groups. The interventions were performed by specialized therapists. All participants were assessed before and after the intervention using the BBS and MFIS scales.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
26

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Greece
    • Central Macedonia
      • Lamía, Central Macedonia, Greece, 35100
        • University of Thessaly

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • diagnosed with RR-type (relapsing-remitting) multiple sclerosis by MS ( multiple sclerosis) expert neurologists, and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) cit 10 Score of 1-3.7 participated in this study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • older than 45 years; EDSS Score>3,7; primary progressive MS; acute or chronic physical or psychological disorders; participation in less than 12 of the 16 hydrotherapy sessions; common contraindications for hydrotherapy as cardiovascular disease, allergy etc.,

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Water Group
Static and dynamic balance, breathing, combined breathing and movement activities.
Other: hydrotherapy
30 degrees temperature pool balance and breathing therapy
Active Comparator: Land Group
Intervention program focused on balance and gait.
Other: neurological physiotherapy
Balance and neurological physiotherapy on land

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
BBS scale
Time Frame: 2 months
The Berg Balance Scale (BBS) is used to objectively determine a patient's ability (or inability) to safely balance during a series of predetermined tasks. It is a 14 item list with each item consisting of a five-point ordinal scale ranging from 0 to 4, with 0 indicating the lowest level of function and 4 the highest level of function and takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. It does not include the assessment of gait.
2 months
MFIS scale
Time Frame: 2 months
The total MFIS score can range from 0 to 84. It is computed by adding scores on the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial subscales.
2 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Thessaly

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • 1.Beck CA, Metz LM, Svenson LW, Patten SB. Regional variation of multiple sclerosis prevalence in Canada. Mult Scler 2005;11(5):516-9. 2.Corvillo I, Varela E, Armijo F, Alvarez-Badillo A, Armijo O, Maraver F. Efficacy of aquatic therapy for multiple sclerosis: a systematic review. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med 2017 [ahead of print]. 3.Multiple sclerosis: Hope through research. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/ Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Hope-Through-Research/MultipleSclerosis-Hope-Through-Research. Accessed October 1, 2018. 4. Ms prevalence: National multiple sclerosis society. https://www.nationalmssociety.org/About-the-Society/MS-Prevalence. Accessed October 2, 2018, 2018. 10 Kurtzke JF. Rating neurologic impairment in multiple sclerosis. Neurology 1983;33:1444. Alikhajeh, Y., Hosseini, S. R. A., & Moghaddam, A. (2012). Effects of hydrotherapy in static and dynamic balance among elderly men. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 2220-2224. Bekiari, M., Iakovidis, P., Lytras, D., Chatziprodromidou, I. P., & Dimitros, E. (2021). The effect of hydrotherapy on the symptoms and functional characteristics of multiple sclerosis patients. Int J Phys Educ Sport Heal, 8(2), 191-197. Castro-Sánchez, A. M., Matarán-Peñarrocha, G. A., Lara-Palomo, I., Saavedra-Hernández, M., Arroyo-Morales, M., & Moreno-Lorenzo, C. (2012). Hydrotherapy for the treatment of pain in people with multiple sclerosis: a randomized controlled trial. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine, 2012. Dixon, J., Hatton, A. L., Robinson, J., Gamesby-Iyayi, H., Hodgson, D., Rome, K., ... & Martin, D. J. (2014). Effect of textured insoles on balance and gait in people with multiple sclerosis: an exploratory trial. Physiotherapy, 100(2), 142-149. Genova, H., Dacosta-Aguayo, R., Goverover, Y., Smith, A., Bober, C., & DeLuca, J. (2020). Effects of a Single Bout of Aquatic Exercise on Mood in Multiple SclerosisA Pilot Study. International Journal of MS Care, 22(4), 173-177. Hammill, H. V., Ellapen, T. J., Strydom, G. L., & Swanepoel, M. (2018). The benefits of hydrotherapy to patients with spinal cord injuries. African journal of disability, 7(1), 1-8. Kahraman, T., Rasova, K., Jonsdottir, J., Medina, C. S., Kos, D., Coote, S., ... & Kalron, A. (2022). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical therapy practice for people with multiple sclerosis: A multicenter survey study of the RIMS network. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, 62, 103799. Kargarfard, M., Etemadifar, M., Baker, P., Mehrabi, M., & Hayatbakhsh, R. (2012). Effect of aquatic exercise training on fatigue and health-related quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 93(10), 1701-1708. Kubsik-Gidlewska, A. M., Klimkiewicz, P., Klimkiewicz, R., Janczewska, K., & Woldańska-Okońska, M. Z. (2017). Rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis. Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine, 26(4). Lambeck, J. (2017). Hydrotherapy in adult neurology. EWAC Medical http://www. ewac. com. Accessed, 10. Mooventhan, A., & Nivethitha, L. (2014). Scientific evidence-based effects of hydrotherapy on various systems of the body. North American journal of medical sciences, 6(5), 199. Ormstad, H., Simonsen, C. S., Broch, L., Maes, M., Anderson, G., & Celius, E. G. (2020). Chronic fatigue and depression due to multiple sclerosis: Immune-inflammatory pathways, tryptophan catabolites and the gut-brain axis as possible shared pathways. Multiple sclerosis and related disorders, 46, 102533. Tan, Z., Liu, H., Yan, T., Jin, D., He, X., Zheng, X., ... & Tan, C. (2014). The effectiveness of functional electrical stimulation based on a normal gait pattern on subjects with early stroke: a randomized controlled trial. BioMed research international, 2014.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 26, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 15, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 2, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 2, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 8, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
December 10, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 2, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 6006

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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