An Alternative Approach To The Duration Of Balneological Treatment Of Knee Osteoarthritis Patients

A？MS: This study aims to compare the effects of balneological treatments applied at traditional and alternative sessions in patients with knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: Randomized, controlled, single-blind clinical trial. 50 patients were divided into two groups. All patients were given a total of 10 sessions of balneotherapy. Group 1 received consecutive treatment for two weeks, while Group 2 received intermittent treatment for five weeks. Local peloid at 45°C were applied for 20 minutes, after a tap water (38°C) bath. Evaluations were conducted before, after treatment and at 12th week of post-treatment by Pain (VAS), doctor and patient's global assessment (VAS), Health Assessment Questionnaire and Lequesne Knee Index. RESULTS: In-group evaluation; all parameters were found to show a statistically significant improvement between the end of treatment and the 12th week measurements of both groups of treatments. There was no statistically significant difference between all the measurements of the two groups. CONCLUS？ON: Our study suggest that traditional and intermittent balneological therapies have similar efficacy in patients with knee osteoarthritis. In terms of health tourism, spa resort managers can arrange alternative treatment combinations that do not require long-term accommodation, allowing many more people to benefit from their facilities