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 .
Comparing the efficacy of mature mud pack and hot pack treatments for knee osteoarthritis.
OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of mature mud pack and hot pack therapies on patients with knee osteoarthritis . DESIGN This study was design ed as a prospect i ve , r and omized-controlled , and single-blinded clinical trial . Twenty-seven patients with clinical and radiologic evidence of knee osteoarthritis were r and omly assigned into two groups and were treated with mature mud packs ( n 15 ) or hot packs ( n=12 ) . Patients were evaluated for pain [ based on the visual analog scale ( VAS ) ] , function ( WOMAC , 6 min walking distance ) , quality of life [ Short Form-36 ( SF-36 ) ] , and serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha ( TNF-α ) , interleukin-6 ( IL-6 ) , and insulin-like growth factor-1 ( IGF-1 ) at baseline , post-treatment , and 3 and 6~months after treatment . RESULTS The mud pack group shows a significant improvement in VAS , pain , stifness , and physical function domains of WOMAC . The difference between groups of pain and physical activity domains is significant at post-treatment in favor of mud pack . For a 6 min walking distance  , mud pack shows significant improvement , and the difference is significant between groups in favor of mud pack at post-treatment and 3 and 6 months after treatment . Mud pack shows significant improvement in the pain subscale of SF-36 at the third month continuing until the sixth month after the treatment . Significant improvements are found for the social function , vitality/energy , physical role disability , and general health subscales of SF-36 in favor of the mud pack compared with the hot pack group at post-treatment . A significant increase is detected for IGF-1 in the mud pack group 3 months after treatment compared with the baseline , and the difference is significant between groups 3 months after the treatment . CONCLUSION Mud pack is a favorable option compared with hotpack for pain relief and for the improvement of functional conditions in treating patients with knee osteoarthritis
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 .