Study of the effect of a water bike on the recovery of patients after lower limb injuries

Objective: to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive program combining methods of sports medicine (training on a Seabike-type water bike), medical psychology and bioimpedancemetry. Material and methods. The study included 120 patients aged 18 to 65 years with post-traumatic injuries of the lower extremities (ICD-10 codes: S82, S93). The main group included 60 patients (55 % men and 45 % women) who underwent a comprehensive rehabilitation program, which included training on a Seabike water bike, three times a week for 30 minutes and cognitive-behavioral therapy, including 8 individual sessions of 50 minutes, aimed at reducing anxiety, correcting the catastrophic perception of the disease and forming a stable motivation for recovery. Standard physiotherapy in the main group included electrical muscle stimulation using the Myovolna device, therapeutic massage, and specially developed exercise therapy programs with an emphasis on restoring joint mobility. Patients in the control group received only a standard set of physiotherapy procedures without elements of sports medicine and psychological support. A wide range of tools were used to evaluate the results. The functional state of the lower extremities was assessed using the LEFS (Lower Extremity Functional Scale), where an improvement of 20 points or more was considered clinically significant. Muscle strength was measured using a Lafayette dynamometer, which ensures a measurement accuracy of ±1.5 %. The psychoemotional state of patients was analyzed using the SF-36 questionnaire, where the threshold value for identifying disorders was 11 points. Results. The study showed the effectiveness of a comprehensive rehabilitation program that includes training on a water bike, cognitive behavioral therapy, and bioimpedance monitoring. Improvements were noted in the functional state of the lower extremities (LEFS scale), psychoemotional status (SF-36 questionnaire) and body composition. The combined approach is superior to traditional rehabilitation, emphasizing the importance of integrating physical and psychological care. The study confirmed the effectiveness of a comprehensive rehabilitation program that includes training on a water bike, cognitive-behavioral therapy and bioimpedance monitoring. Conclusion. The program significantly improves the physical and psychoemotional state of patients with post-traumatic injuries, which opens up new prospects in rehabilitation medicine.