In conclusion , even though limitations must be considered , evidence shows that BT and spa therapy can significantly improve QoL of patients with knee OA .
Moreover , reduction of drug consumption and improvement of algofunctional indexes may be other beneficial effects .
Knee osteoarthritis ( OA ) is a degenerative disease which is expected to become one of the leading causes of disability by the next years .
This work aims to assess if balneotherapy and spa therapy can significantly improve Quality of Life ( QoL ) of patients with knee OA .
Balneotherapy and tap water therapy in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis
To investigate if spa water is superior to tap water ( TW ) in relieving the symptoms of pain , joint motion , life quality in knee osteoarthritis ( KOA ) patients . In this r and omized placebo-controlled trial , 52 patients with KOA were followed in two groups . In group I ( n = 27 ) , patients were treated in the pool full of spa water at 37 ° C for 20 min a day , 5 days a week , for a period of 2 weeks . In group II ( n = 25 ) , the same protocol was used but spa water was replaced by TW heated to 37 ° C . Patients in both groups were given a home-based st and ardized exercise program . Evaluation parameters were pain ( pVAS ) , tenderness score ( TS ) , 50-ft walking duration , quadriceps muscle strength ( QMS ) , active flexion degree ( AFD ) , WOMAC OA index , and Nottingham Health Profile ( NHP ) . The first evaluation was done after the informed consent was obtained . Second and third evaluations were done at the 2nd and 12th week . PVAS , 50-ft walking duration , AFD , TS , WOMAC , and NHP variables improved in group I. Same variables except QMS improved also in group II . Comparison of the groups just after treatment showed that only pVAS ( P = 0.015 ) , NHP pain score ( P = 0.020 ) , and TS ( P = 0.002 ) differed significantly in favor of group I at the 2nd or 12th week . Both of the thermal treatment modalities were found to be effective in the management of the clinical symptoms and quality of life in KOA patients . However , pain and tenderness improved statistically better with balneotherapy . There were no significant differences between the groups for the other variables
In conclusion , even though limitations must be considered , evidence shows that BT and spa therapy can significantly improve QoL of patients with knee OA .
Moreover , reduction of drug consumption and improvement of algofunctional indexes may be other beneficial effects .
Knee osteoarthritis ( OA ) is a degenerative disease which is expected to become one of the leading causes of disability by the next years .
This work aims to assess if balneotherapy and spa therapy can significantly improve Quality of Life ( QoL ) of patients with knee OA .