Background: In the cardio-respiratory rehabilitation field, thermal medicine represents an interesting complementary therapy approach. It can aid in complex medical contexts characterized by cardio-respiratory deficiency, functional limitation, and pain determined by the invasiveness of pharmacological and surgical treatments in combination with limited post-surgical physical activity. Methods: We investigated the evolution of cardio-respiratory and functional performances following the application of the Integrated Thermal Care (ITC) protocol in 11 mastectomized/quadrantectomized women (mean age of 54 years). The ITC protocol consisted of hydroponic treatments, steam inhalations treatment, hydrokinesitherapy, and manual treatments. Patients were assessed before and after a cycle of 1 h long treatment sessions, which were performed 5 days a week for 4 weeks. The outcomes were measured through the following scales and tests: Piper Fatigue Scale (PIPER), 6-Minute Walking Test (6MWT), Five Times Sit-to-Stand (5STS), Range of Arm Motion (ROM), Disability of the Arm–Shoulder–Hand Scale (DASH), and Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). Results: We found appreciable improvements in cardio-respiratory efficiency and in pain perception exemplified by a reduction of PIPER, 5STS, DASH, and NPRS values together with an increase in 6MWT and ROM values. Conclusions: We conclude that ITC is a promising rehabilitative tool to enhance cardio-respiratory and functional performance and reduce pain after mastectomy/quadrantectomy.

Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common condition that can cause dyspnea, pain, and biomechanical-postural alterations, especially when overlapping with Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS). Balneological rehabilitation medicine can help manage COPD and MPS, but it lacks homogeneity and detailed descriptions of effective therapeutic protocols. Therefore, we conducted a case series to preliminarily evaluate the clinical effects of a detailed and codified approach, called Bio-Physico-Metric Integrated Thermal Care (BPM-ITC), for COPD+MPS. Methods: 10 patients were observed while undergoing 20 sessions of BPM-ITC in 4 weeks. Patients were assessed before and after the protocol using the Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnea scale, Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), and the Bio-Postural Questionnaire (BPQ) for bio-physical health status. Treatments included manual therapy of key myofascial trigger points combined with crenotherapy, steam inhalations, mud therapy, vascular path, and water-based motor re-education. Results: At the end of the protocol, clinically relevant improvements were observed in almost all parameters considered in single observed cases; overall statistical analysis of the data highlighted significant positive effects in concomitance with the BPM-ITC protocol. Conclusions: The BPM-ITC protocol was followed by significant clinical improvements in the observed cases, suggesting its potential as a complementary approach for COPD+MPS. Further studies on this topic are recommended.

Background/Objectives: Nowadays there is a progressive increase in surgical interventions in the fields of cardiology and oncology. This situation increasingly involves the need to identify strategies for managing complications that may affect patients in the post-surgical period, during the rehabilitation phase. Among the symptoms most frequently encountered in this context are pain and postural dysfunction, for which a decisive support could derive from the application of Focused Mechano-Acoustic Vibrations (FMAVs) therapy. Methods: In this pilot observational study, 20 patients (12 women and 8 men; average age of 48 years) who underwent cardiac or oncological surgery were observed during the execution of a FMAVs treatment protocol applied in the post-operative period. Patients were evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the protocol through the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and the computerized postural analysis for the calculation of the Postural Biometric Index (PBI), that quantifies postural dysfunctions. All patients were treated with 8 biweekly sessions of FMAVs applied on specific Myofascial Trigger Points (MTrPs). Results: At the end of the protocol, significant reductions of 26.4% for pain detected by NPRS and 17.9% for postural dysfunction detected by PBI were observed. Conclusions: Treatment with FMAVs can determine improvements in pain and postural dysfunction in cardiac and oncological patients subjected to surgery. This preliminary study lays the foundation for further in-depth research on the topic.