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 .
Comparison of a generic and a disease specific quality of life scale to assess a comprehensive spa therapy program for knee osteoarthritis.
OBJECTIVES To compare the differences or correlation between the results obtained from a generic and a disease-specific instrument for the study group and to assess the short-term effects of spa therapy on quality of life of patients with knee osteoarthritis . PATIENTS AND METHODS Fifty patients with knee osteoarthritis were r and omly recruited . They underwent a comprehensive spa therapy program for 21 days . Forty-six patients completed the study . The results were evaluated with Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form-36 ( SF-36 ) and Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale 2 ( AIMS 2 ) . RESULTS Statistically significant improvement was observed in all subscales of SF-36 . All subscales of AIMS 2 improved too , but only half of them were significant . Correlation between matching subscales of each test was also significant , except physical activity . CONCLUSION Comprehensive spa therapy seems to increase the quality of life of patients with knee osteoarthritis for short term
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 .