Efficacy of Spa Therapy, Mud-Pack Therapy, Balneotherapy, and Mud-Bath Therapy in the Management of Knee Osteoarthritis. A Systematic Review
review Grade B 2018 Open access
Authors: Fraioli, Antonio, Mennuni, Gioacchino, Fontana, Mario, Nocchi, Silvia, Ceccarelli, Fulvia, Perricone, Carlo, Serio, Angelo
Journal: BioMed Research International 2018 : Article 1042576
DOI: 10.1155/2018/1042576
Key Findings
- Systematic review of studies published 2002-2017 on spa therapy, mud-pack therapy, balneotherapy, and mud-bath therapy for knee osteoarthritis
- 35 studies screened, 12 comparative trials selected for inclusion
- Mud-pack, balneotherapy, mud-bath, and spa therapy all showed efficacy in treating and preventing recurrence of knee OA symptoms
- Reported reductions in pain, NSAID use, and functional limitation, with improved quality of life
- Concludes spa therapy, particularly as part of multi-modal resort treatment, can be cost-saving in knee OA management
A systematic review of comparative trials (2002–2017) on peloid- and spa-based therapies for knee osteoarthritis. It treats mud-pack, mud-bath, balneotherapy, and general spa therapy as a group rather than isolating peat specifically, so it is cited here as review-level corroboration for the broader balneotherapy evidence base in joint conditions, alongside more targeted peat-specific studies, rather than as peat-specific proof on its own.
systematic-reviewknee-osteoarthritismud-packbalneotherapymud-bathspa-therapy