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 .
Phytothermotherapy in osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled clinical trial.
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of adding a cycle of phytothermotherapy ( a traditional treatment with fermenting grass used in Trentino-Alto Adige , Italy ) to the usual drug treatment , in patients with primary symptomatic osteoarthritis ( OA ) of the knee , hip , or lumbar spine . METHODS In this r and omized , single-blind , controlled trial , 218 out patients were enrolled ; 109 patients were treated with a cycle of phytothermotherapy at the thermal resort of Garniga Terme ( Trento , Italy ) for 10 days ; the other 109 patients continued regular outpatient care . Patients were assessed at baseline , after 2 weeks , and after 3 months from the beginning of the study and were evaluated using a visual analogue scale ( VAS ) for spontaneous pain , a Health Assessment Question naire , the Lequesne index for hip and knee osteoarthritis , and the Roll and Morris Question naire for lumbar spine OA and symptomatic drug consumption . RESULTS In patients treated with phytothermotherapy , a significant improvement of VAS and a reduction of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug consumption at the end of treatment and 3 months later were observed . In the control group , no significant differences were noted . The analyses performed separately for each subgroup for OA localization showed that the best results were evident in lumbar spine OA . Concerning tolerability , in the group treated with phytothermotherapy 10 % of patients presented side-effects due to treatment , but these were of low intensity and did not interrupt the therapy . CONCLUSIONS In conclusion , the results show beneficial effects of a cycle of phytothermotherapy in patients with OA of the hip , knee , or lumbar spine .  Phytothermotherapy may therefore be a useful aid alongside the usual pharmacologic and physiokinesic therapies , or may be used as a valid alternative for patients who do not tolerate pharmacologic treatments
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 .