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 .
Therapeutic effect of spa therapy and short wave therapy in knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, single blind, controlled trial
Spa therapy and short wave therapy are two of the most commonly used non-pharmacological approaches for  osteoarthritis .  The aim of this study was to assess their efficacy in comparison to conventional therapy in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee in a single blind , r and omized , controlled trial . Seventy-four out patients were enrolled ; 30 patients were treated with a combination of daily local mud packs and arsenical ferruginous mineral bath water from the thermal resort of Levico Terme ( Trento , Italy ) for 3 weeks ; 24 patients were treated with short wave therapy for the same period and 20 patients continued regular , routine ambulatory care . Patients were assessed at baseline , upon completion of the 3-week treatment period , and 12 weeks later . Spa therapy and short wave therapy both demonstrated effective symptomatic treatment in osteoarthritis of the knee at the end of the treatment , but only the spa therapy was shown to have efficacy persistent over time . Our study demonstrated the superiority of arsenical ferruginous spa therapy compared to short wave therapy in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee , probably in relationship to the specific effects of the minerals in this water
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 .