Medical Hydrology and Balneology: Environmental Aspects

Mud therapy for the treatment of osteoarthritis
Almeida-Santos C (1) , Cachapuz I (1) , Castro H (1) , Cantista P (1)
(1) Termas de São Jorge. Santa Maria da Feira. Portugal
catarinaalmeidasantos@gmail.com
Introduction and Objectives
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of mud therapy
in the treatment of Osteoarthritis (OA). INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis is a
common disorder, characterized by progressive cartilage degradation and secondary
inflammation of the synovial membrane. Several treatments are available, including
mud therapy.
Materials and Methods
Search for articles in Medline, UpToDate, National Guideline Clearinghouse,
Cochrane Library, DARE, Bandolier, and TRIP Database, using the MeSH terms
mud therapy and osteoarthritis. The search was limited to articles published between
January 2000 and December 2011, in English, Portuguese, Spanish and
French. The SORT (Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy) scale of the American
Family Physician was applied to evaluate the level of evidence.
Results
Studies found that mud therapy decrease the duration and intensity of symptoms
including pain, reduce TNF-alpha serum level and reduce the use of oral analgesic
drugs
Conclusions
Mud therapy is considered an option of treatment for OA. The available evidence
indicates that mud therapy have a beneficial effect on OA (Strength of Recommendation
A).
Keywords: Mud Therapy; Osteoarthritis
Balnea
2012, núm. 6, 399
399
ISBN: 978-84-669-1887-0
978-84-669-3482-4