The Relationship Between Cold Water Immersion and the Progression in Gout Arthritis

March 16, 2021 updated by: Maria Dyah Kurniasari, Taipei Medical University

Effect of a Cold Water Immersion (CWI) on Pain in People With Gouty Arthritis: A Community Based Randomized Controlled Trial

Gouty arthritis is a type of autoinflammatory arthritis that generates higher levels of pain with only minimum movement in the joint. The pain is shown to have a negative correlation with the physical function, reduced peak ankle joint angular, mobility velocity , and physical function. As such, the investigator can conclude that gout arthritis led to raises intolerance foot pain, physical inactivity, and joint mobility reduction. Currently, intermittent drugs use for pain relief is suggested to contribute to the renal impairment side effect. However, the investigator found that there is a limited study that investigated non-pharmacological intervention among people with gouty arthritis. The pain among people with gouty arthritis has also been shown to increase the degree of depression, anxiety, and depression. Also, the high levels of pain, psychological distress, anxiety, and depression were found as the risk factor of poor Quality of Life (QOL). Cold therapy (cryotherapy) application has been proven as useful adjuvant therapy on pain among people with gouty arthritis. CWI therapy has twofold reduced the inflammation. Firstly, it attenuates metabolic processes in stressed tissues and slowing cytokine and myokine up-regulation that mediates inflammation. Second, CWI induces microvasculature vasoconstriction by perfusing stressed tissue and reducing the circulatory of tissue access to inflammatory cells. Meanwhile, the high prevalence of gouty arthritis has been presented in North Celebes, Indonesia. Moreover, more than 50% of patients are too late for effective therapy and they had observed tophi for 7 to 9 years before presenting for treatment. These empirical issues indicate that it is vital to investigate gouty arthritis-related risk factors to protect Indonesians from this disease. The investigator aims to investigate a unique analysis of the CWI (20-30C) therapy effect on pain, joint mobility, stress, anxiety, depression, QOL (encompasses PCS and MCS), physical activity (MET-h/week) in the multicenter-community setting with a longitudinal study design.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This research was conducted at North Celebes, Indonesia. Participants were recruited using the multi-stage sampling method, which began in July 2019. North Celebes Province was conveniently selected in the first stage sampling, which had the highest prevalence of gouty arthritis. North Celebes province is stratified it into 15 regions. In the second stage, two regions of fifteen regions were randomly selected, including urban and rural areas. Tomohon City is the one urban area that has been able to engage in this partnership. Seven Community Health Service (CHS) centers in Tomohon City have been randomly chosen in the final level. Four qualified professional nurses collected all the data. The data source of diagnoses was their medical records in the Public Community Health Services (CHS) of Tomohon City. The sample calculation utilized G-Power 3.1 software with the alpha level (α) of 0.01, power (1-ß) of 0.80, and the effect size is 0.9, the total estimated sample size required 31 in each group. An estimated 20% dropout rate increases; the sample size is 36 for each group.

Variable description 1.1.1. Participants Characteristic Blood pressure and BMI were examined in a standardized medical examination. Demographic data were collected by using a self-designed questionnaire. The questionnaire included the demographic characteristics of the participant, including age, gender, marital status, educational level, income, occupation, family gout history, gouty arthritis drug consumption, alcohol consumption, and smoking status. The translated food frequency questionnaire was employed with Cronbach's alpha as 0.95.

1.1.2. Pain The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) instrument has 10 centimeters length. The standard scale anchored by "no pain" marked as a score of 0 and the "worst imaginable pain" marked as a score of 10 cm. The higher score identifies greater pain intensity. The reliability test showed that VAS was good (r = 0.94, p = 0.001). The reliability test of the VAS instrument has been done in Indonesia with the Cronbach's alpha as 0.89.

1.1.3. Joint mobility The range of knee joint motion was calculated using an International Standard Orthopedic Measurement (ISOM) goniometric. Its method using the Sagittal Frontal Transverse Rotation (SFTR) system to an accuracy of 10. Goniometry provides an objective assessment tool to measure the range of motion. The validity and reliability of Goniometry are 0.98 and 0.97, respectively. The validity score of the Indonesian version is 0.97, and the Cronbach alpha as 0.51.

1.1.4. Stress, anxiety, depression The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire is used to measure the negative states of three mental health conditions: depression, anxiety, and stress using a self-report 4-point Likert scale. Data was collected by reflects the thoughts, feelings, and behavior. The result will be defined by the total scores of responses from the 7-item subscale of this questionnaire. The Cronbach's alphas of Indonesian translated is 0.72 to 0.87.

1.1.5. Quality of Life (QOL) 36 Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire was employed to estimate QOL. It included Physical Component Summary (PCS), Mental Component Summary (MCS). Total QOL range from 0 to 100. The Indonesia version of the SF-36 questionnaire has tested the reliability with the Cronbach's alphas 0.7.

1.1.6. Physical activity (MET-h/week) The physical activity level was investigated as metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-hr/week by using three questions based on the modified Physical Activity Guideline from the Advisory Committee for Americans and the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire. The investigator then categorized participants based on the exercise type (that is divided into the following categories: mild (e.g., yoga, bowling, or floor-sweeping), moderate (e.g., gym, baseball, or badminton), and strenuous exercise (e.g., hiking, soccer, or running)), duration in minutes and exercise intensity they presented during a typical week. The investigator multiplied the amount of mild, moderate, and strenuous exercise hours and duration by 3, 5, and 9, respectively. By summing the exercise pattern of the separate things, the investigator measured total weekly PA in arbitrary units.

The per-protocol method was employed to deal with the missing data. Each participant is allowed to immediately report the adverse event during the intervention.

The Chi-square and t-test were employed to analyze the homogeneity of subject characteristics between the experimental and control group. The Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) model was applied to compare the differences pain, joint mobility, stress, anxiety, depression, QOL (included PCS and MCS), physical activity (MET-h/week) within one-month intervention between the intervention and control group. The interaction between group and time was also further analyzed to determine if the mean differences in their pain, joint mobility, stress anxiety, and depression, QOL, and physical activity between groups differed significantly over time. p<0.05 was applied as statistically significant. All statistical analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) vers. 25.0 (Chicago, IL, USA). Besides, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was also employed to analyze the mediating effect between variables through the Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) vers. 24. Then the investigator evaluate the measurement and structural models by utilizing the goodness fit index.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

76

Phase

  • 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

    • North Celebes
      • Tomohon, North Celebes, Indonesia, 95446
        • Rendra

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

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • People with gouty arthritis in the knee or ankle or metatarsophalangeal or metacarpophalangeal or olecranon bursa or wrist
  • Participants were Indonesian nationals aged ≥18 years
  • They had visited a clinic of the Public CHS of Tomohon City
  • They had agreed to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participants who self-reported the presence of other types of inflammatory arthritis, including RA or spondyloarthritis

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
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cold Water Immersion
The participants maintained their daily activities during the intervention. When daily activity ended, the intervention was begun. CWI therapy by immersed the whole part of inflamed target joints in the water at 20-30C for 20 minutes/day. The intervention was continued for four weeks. The researchers work together with the nurses of community health services to give the intervention.
The participants maintained their daily activities during the intervention. When daily activity ended, the intervention was begun. CWI therapy by immersed the whole part of inflamed target joints in the water at 20-30C for 20 minutes/day. The intervention was continued for four weeks. The researchers work together with the nurses of community health services to give the intervention.
No Intervention: No Intervention
The participants would not receive Cold Water Intervention. However, they are allowed to received the usual care

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain Level assessed by The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at the baseline
Time Frame: Baseline/ pre-intervention
Pain Level assessed by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) instrument that has 10 centimeters length. The standard scale anchored by "no pain" marked as a score of 0 and the "worst imaginable pain" marked as a score of 10 cm (Huskisson et al., 1974; Scott & Huskisson, 1976). The higher score identifies greater pain intensity. The reliability test showed that VAS was good (r = 0.94, p = 0.001) (Ferraz et al., 1990). The reliability test of the VAS instrument has been done in Indonesia with the Cronbach's alpha as 0.89 (Suwendar et al., 2017)
Baseline/ pre-intervention
Pain Level assessed by The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at the 2nd week/during the intervention
Time Frame: 2nd week/during the intervention
Pain Level assessed by The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) instrument that has 10 centimeters length. The standard scale anchored by "no pain" marked as a score of 0 and the "worst imaginable pain" marked as a score of 10 cm (Huskisson et al., 1974; Scott & Huskisson, 1976). The higher score identifies greater pain intensity. The reliability test showed that VAS was good (r = 0.94, p = 0.001) (Ferraz et al., 1990). The reliability test of the VAS instrument has been done in Indonesia with the Cronbach's alpha as 0.89 (Suwendar et al., 2017)
2nd week/during the intervention
Pain Level assessed by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at 4th week/immediately after intervention
Time Frame: 4th week/immediately after intervention
Pain Level assessed by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) instrument has 10 centimeters length. The standard scale anchored by "no pain" marked as a score of 0 and the "worst imaginable pain" marked as a score of 10 cm (Huskisson et al., 1974; Scott & Huskisson, 1976). The higher score identifies greater pain intensity. The reliability test showed that VAS was good (r = 0.94, p = 0.001) (Ferraz et al., 1990). The reliability test of the VAS instrument has been done in Indonesia with the Cronbach's alpha as 0.89 (Suwendar et al., 2017)
4th week/immediately after intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Joint mobility assessed by Goniometry at the baseline
Time Frame: Baseline/ pre-intervention
Joint mobility assessed by Goniometry. The range of knee joint motion was calculated using an International Standard Orthopedic Measurement (ISOM) goniometric. Its method using the Sagittal Frontal Transverse Rotation (SFTR) system to an accuracy of 10 (Dorwart, Hansell, & Schumacher, 1974). Goniometry provides an objective assessment tool to measure the range of motion (Rose & Norton, 1987). The validity and reliability of Goniometry are 0.98 and 0.97, respectively (Rose & Norton, 1987). The validity score of the Indonesian version is 0.97, and the Cronbach alpha as 0.51 (Hafiyah, 2013).
Baseline/ pre-intervention
Joint mobility assessed by Goniometry at the 2nd week/during the intervention
Time Frame: 2nd week/during the intervention
Joint mobility assessed by Goniometry. The range of knee joint motion was calculated using an International Standard Orthopedic Measurement (ISOM) goniometric. Its method using the Sagittal Frontal Transverse Rotation (SFTR) system to an accuracy of 10 (Dorwart, Hansell, & Schumacher, 1974). Goniometry provides an objective assessment tool to measure the range of motion (Rose & Norton, 1987). The validity and reliability of Goniometry are 0.98 and 0.97, respectively (Rose & Norton, 1987). The validity score of the Indonesian version is 0.97, and the Cronbach alpha as 0.51 (Hafiyah, 2013).
2nd week/during the intervention
Joint mobility assessed by Goniometry at the 4th week/immediately after intervention
Time Frame: 4th week/immediately after intervention
Joint mobility assessed by Goniometry. The range of knee joint motion was calculated using an International Standard Orthopedic Measurement (ISOM) goniometric. Its method using the Sagittal Frontal Transverse Rotation (SFTR) system to an accuracy of 10 (Dorwart, Hansell, & Schumacher, 1974). Goniometry provides an objective assessment tool to measure the range of motion (Rose & Norton, 1987). The validity and reliability of Goniometry are 0.98 and 0.97, respectively (Rose & Norton, 1987). The validity score of the Indonesian version is 0.97, and the Cronbach alpha as 0.51 (Hafiyah, 2013).
4th week/immediately after intervention
Stress, anxiety, depression assessed by The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale questionnaire at the baseline
Time Frame: Baseline/ pre-intervention
The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale questionnaire is used to measure the negative states of three mental health conditions: depression, anxiety, and stress using a self-report 4-point Likert scale. Data was collected by reflects the thoughts, feelings, and behavior (Oei, Sawang, Goh, & Mukhtar, 2013). The result will be defined by the total scores of responses from the 7-item subscale of this questionnaire. The lower score shows a better result. If the total number of depressions is 9 or below and the extremely severe is 34 or over. The Cronbach's alphas of Indonesian translated is 0.72 to 0.87 (Susilowati, Isahak, & Harncharoen, 2016).
Baseline/ pre-intervention
Stress, anxiety, depression assessed by The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale questionnaire at the 2nd week/during the intervention
Time Frame: 2nd week/during the intervention
The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale questionnaire is used to measure the negative states of three mental health conditions: depression, anxiety, and stress using a self-report 4-point Likert scale. Data was collected by reflects the thoughts, feelings, and behavior (Oei, Sawang, Goh, & Mukhtar, 2013). The result will be defined by the total scores of responses from the 7-item subscale of this questionnaire. The lower score shows a better result. If the total number of depressions is 9 or below and the extremely severe is 34 or over. The Cronbach's alphas of Indonesian translated is 0.72 to 0.87 (Susilowati, Isahak, & Harncharoen, 2016).
2nd week/during the intervention
Stress, anxiety, depression assessed by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale at 4th week/immediately after intervention
Time Frame: 4th week/immediately after intervention
The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale questionnaire is used to measure the negative states of three mental health conditions: depression, anxiety, and stress using a self-report 4-point Likert scale. Data was collected by reflects the thoughts, feelings, and behavior (Oei, Sawang, Goh, & Mukhtar, 2013). The result will be defined by the total scores of responses from the 7-item subscale of this questionnaire. The lower score shows a better result. If the total number of depressions is 9 or below and the extremely severe is 34 or over. The Cronbach's alphas of Indonesian translated is 0.72 to 0.87 (Susilowati, Isahak, & Harncharoen, 2016).
4th week/immediately after intervention
Quality of Life (QOL) level assessed by 36 Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire at Baseline
Time Frame: Baseline, pre-intervention
Quality of Life (QOL) level assessed by 36 Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire that was employed to estimate QOL. It included Physical Component Summary (PCS), Mental Component Summary (MCS). Total QOL range from 0 to 100 (Rias et al., 2020). The Indonesia version of the SF-36 questionnaire has tested the reliability with the Cronbach's alphas 0.7 (Salim, Yamin, Alwi, & Setiati, 2015)
Baseline, pre-intervention
Quality of Life (QOL) level assessed by 36 Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire 2nd week/during the intervention
Time Frame: 2nd week/during the intervention
Quality of Life (QOL) level assessed by 36 Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire that was employed to estimate QOL. It included Physical Component Summary (PCS), Mental Component Summary (MCS). Total QOL range from 0 to 100 (Rias et al., 2020). The Indonesia version of the SF-36 questionnaire has tested the reliability with the Cronbach's alphas 0.7 (Salim, Yamin, Alwi, & Setiati, 2015)
2nd week/during the intervention
Quality of Life (QOL) level assessed by36 Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire 4th week/immediately after intervention
Time Frame: 4th week/immediately after intervention
Quality of Life (QOL) level assessed by 36 Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire that was employed to estimate QOL. It included Physical Component Summary (PCS), Mental Component Summary (MCS). Total QOL range from 0 to 100 (Rias et al., 2020). The Indonesia version of the SF-36 questionnaire has tested the reliability with the Cronbach's alphas 0.7 (Salim, Yamin, Alwi, & Setiati, 2015)
4th week/immediately after intervention
Physical activity (MET-h/week) level assessed by questions based on the modified Physical Activity Guideline at the baseline
Time Frame: Baseline, pre-intervention
The physical activity level was investigated as metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-hr/week by using three questions based on the modified Physical Activity Guideline from the Advisory Committee for Americans (Shiroma, Sesso, Moorthy, Buring, & Lee, 2015) and the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (Godin & Shephard, 1997). We then categorized participants based on the exercise type (that is divided into the following categories: mild (e.g., yoga, bowling, or floor-sweeping), moderate (e.g., gym, baseball, or badminton), and strenuous exercise (e.g., hiking, soccer, or running)), duration in minutes and exercise intensity they presented during a typical week. We multiplied the amount of mild, moderate, and strenuous exercise hours and duration by 3, 5, and 9, respectively. By summing the exercise pattern of the separate things, we measured total weekly PA in arbitrary units (Rias et al., 2020).
Baseline, pre-intervention
Physical activity (MET-h/week) level assessed by questions based on the modified Physical Activity Guideline at 2nd week/during the intervention
Time Frame: 2nd week/during the intervention
The physical activity level was investigated as metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-hr/week by using three questions based on the modified Physical Activity Guideline from the Advisory Committee for Americans (Shiroma, Sesso, Moorthy, Buring, & Lee, 2015) and the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (Godin & Shephard, 1997). We then categorized participants based on the exercise type (that is divided into the following categories: mild (e.g., yoga, bowling, or floor-sweeping), moderate (e.g., gym, baseball, or badminton), and strenuous exercise (e.g., hiking, soccer, or running)), duration in minutes and exercise intensity they presented during a typical week. We multiplied the amount of mild, moderate, and strenuous exercise hours and duration by 3, 5, and 9, respectively. By summing the exercise pattern of the separate things, we measured total weekly PA in arbitrary units (Rias et al., 2020).
2nd week/during the intervention
Physical activity (MET-h/week) level: Change from Baseline and 2nd week time point
Time Frame: 4th week/immediately after intervention
The physical activity level was investigated as metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-hr/week by using three questions based on the modified Physical Activity Guideline from the Advisory Committee for Americans (Shiroma, Sesso, Moorthy, Buring, & Lee, 2015) and the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (Godin & Shephard, 1997). We then categorized participants based on the exercise type (that is divided into the following categories: mild (e.g., yoga, bowling, or floor-sweeping), moderate (e.g., gym, baseball, or badminton), and strenuous exercise (e.g., hiking, soccer, or running)), duration in minutes and exercise intensity they presented during a typical week. We multiplied the amount of mild, moderate, and strenuous exercise hours and duration by 3, 5, and 9, respectively. By summing the exercise pattern of the separate things, we measured total weekly PA in arbitrary units (Rias et al., 2020).
4th week/immediately after intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Study Director: Hsiu Ting Tsai, PhD, Taipei Medical University

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

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)

July 1, 2019

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2021

Study Completion (Actual)

January 31, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 24, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 7, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

October 14, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 17, 2021

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 16, 2021

Last Verified

March 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

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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