Study on the effect of bathing therapies for knee osteoarthritis

The aim of the study was to find out whether outpatient spa treatments, in addition to the usual medication and exercise that patients do at home, lead to better results in knee osteoarthritis.

The study was conducted in France between June 2006 and 2007 with a total of 382 patients (195 treated, 187 in the control group). The treated patients were unaware of the control group; the staff were unaware of who was taking part in the study. The treatment cycle consisted of once daily treatments on 18 days within 3 weeks. The evaluation criteria were assessed by the patients themselves at the end.

The control group received the usual medication and treatment and did exercise at home. The 195 participants in the treatment group also received various treatments such as massages, hydrotherapy, mud packs and aqua aerobics.

The effectiveness was measured 6 months after the treatment series using the VAS and WOMAC scales. A clinical improvement (MCII) was observed in 50.8% of the treatment group, compared with only 36.4% in the control group. There were no changes in quality of life after 6 months.

It can therefore be concluded that a three-week outpatient bathing therapy is well tolerated and, together with exercise and medication, achieves a better effect than exercise and medication alone, even after 6 months.