Medical Hydrology and Balneology: Environmental Aspects

Evaluation of the clinical efficiency of the
thermal mineral water of harkány on patients
with primary knee osteoarthritis
Nusser N (1) , Horváth K (1)
(1) Zsigmondy Vilmos Hydrotherapeutic Hospital of Harkány Nonprofit Ltd.Harkány, Hungary
hkatya76@gmail.com
Introduction and Objectives
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the thermal mineral water
of Harkány, Hungary, in the treatment of patients with primary knee osteoarthritis.
The study also aimed to compare the effectiveness of the thermal mineral water of
Harkány with the heated tap water.
Materials and Methods
This randomized, double-blind, controlled, follow-up study examined 53 patients,
diagnosed according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)
criteria for knee osteoarthritis. The patients were randomly divided into two groups.
All patients of both groups received TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)
therapy on their knees for 3 days a week and standard physiotherapy for 3
days a week. Beside these therapies the treatment group (group I, n= 33) received
thermal mineral water therapy of Harkány, while the control group (group II, n= 20)
received heated tap water therapy in form of tub bathing, for 20 minutes a day, 5
days a week, for a period of 3 consecutive weeks. The water temperature was 36°C
in both groups. The outcome measures were visual analogue scale scores (VAS),
Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) and Nottingham
Health Profile (NHP). The study parameters were administered at baseline,
immediately after the treatment and after a 12-week follow-up period.
Results
We observed statistically significant improvement in the parameters of the thermal
mineral water treated group at the end of the treatment as well as at the 12week
follow-up assessment. No significant alterations in the evaluation indices
were found in the control group.
Conclusions
The results of our study confirm that spa therapy has positive effects on patients
with knee osteoarthritis, further that thermal mineral water is more effective than
heated tap water in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, including positive effects on
the patients’ quality of life, pain and functional capacities.
Keywords: Knee Osteoarthritis, Balneotherapy, Quality Of Life
Balnea
2012, núm. 6, 91
91
ISBN: 978-84-669-1887-0
978-84-669-3482-4