Land-Based Functional Rehabilitation Versus Aquatic Therapy on the Quality of Life of Individuals With Chronic Chikungunya: A Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Chikungunya may progress to a chronic phase marked by persistent pain and functional impairment, reducing the quality of life. Exercise-based rehabilitation is essential, though comparisons between different modalities remain scarce. Exercises in an aquatic environment can be designed as a task-oriented intervention that utilizes hydrodynamic properties to modulate sensorimotor reweighting and enhance movement confidence. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of two functional rehabilitation programs-one land-based and one aquatic-on the quality of life of individuals in the chronic phase of chikungunya. METHODS: A randomized clinical trial was conducted in Santa Cruz, RN, Brazil, with 53 participants of both sexes aged 18-75 years. Data were collected using a sociodemographic and health questionnaire developed for this study and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Participants were randomly allocated to a land-based Functional Rehabilitation Group (FRG) or an Aquatic Therapy Group (ATG) and underwent functional exercise interventions twice weekly for 6 weeks. Descriptive statistics and linear mixed model analyses were performed, considering Group (FRG vs. ATG) as a between-subjects fixed effect, Time (pre-vs. post-intervention) as a within-subjects fixed effect, and the Group × Time interaction, adopting a compound symmetry covariance structure. The effect size was estimated using partial η2. RESULTS: The analysis revealed significant time effects across SF-36 domains, indicating overall improvement between pre- and post-intervention assessments. A significant Group × Time interaction was observed for the social aspects' domain, with greater benefits in the FRG. DISCUSSION: Both rehabilitation programs, land-based and aquatic, significantly improved the quality of life of individuals in the chronic phase of chikungunya, with the land-based program showing superior results in social aspects.