Quality-of-life and Pain After Spa Treatment in Elderly With Osteoarthritis

Short and Long-term Follow-up of Quality-of-life and Pain After Spa Treatment in Elderly With Osteoarthritis

The aim of the study was to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of spa therapy on quality of life and pain in patients aged 65 years and older with osteoarthritis.

70 patients with osteoarthritis referred to spa treatment in south-eastern Poland were enrolled in the study. Spa treatment lasted 3 weeks.

All the patients benefited from spa therapy.

VAS pain scale, the Laitinen scale and WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire were used to assess the condition of the patients. The examinations were performed three times: at the beginning of the spa treatment, after three months and one year after the first examinations.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Quality of Life; Osteoarthritis; Elderly; Balneology
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Spa therapy

Detailed Description

In an interventional study design, there have been examined patients aged over 65 years with the diagnosis of osteoarthritis who were prescribed a first spa therapy course in spa resorts in south-eastern Poland, between April 2016 and July 2016.

Patients were assessed by an experienced physicians on the first day of the spa therapy (study 1), after three months (study 2) and one year (study 3) after the completion of the spa therapy.

All patients who had been enrolled to the study, were asked to fill out the appropriate questionnaires (on the first day of the spa therapy). The investigators ensured that questionnaires were properly completed, under the supervision of researcher previously trained for their application. Second (study 2) and third (study 3) stages of the study were performed after three months, and one year after the first study, respectively (participants were interviewed by telephone survey).

Interventions Spa treatment was applied during a session lasting 120 to 150 minutes a day. Spa treatment lasted 3 weeks, including treatments from Monday to Friday (15 days of treatment). As a part of comprehensive spa treatment, all the patients benefited from kinesiotherapy, physical agent modalities (electrotherapy, phototherapy), massage and balneotherapy (peloid therapy, hydrotherapy with mineral waters, crenotherapy).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 70
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 65 years and older (Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• age over 65
• diagnosis of osteoarthritis,
• completion of 3 weeks of spa treatment
• patient's consent to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• failure to complete 3-weeks spa treatment,
• significant random events during follow-up
• diagnosed other diseases during follow-up,
• other forms of therapy implemented during follow-up,
• refusal to participate in II or III stage of the study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Spa therapy; Spa treatment was applied during a session lasting 120 to 150 minutes a day. Spa treatment lasted 3 weeks, including treatments from Monday to Friday (15 days of treatment). As a part of comprehensive spa treatment, all the patients benefited from kinesiotherapy, physical agent modalities (electrotherapy, phototherapy), massage and balneotherapy (peloid therapy, hydrotherapy with mineral waters, crenotherapy).

Other: Spa therapy; Spa treatment was applied during a session lasting 120 to 150 minutes a day. Spa treatment lasted 3 weeks, including treatments from Monday to Friday (15 days of treatment). As a part of comprehensive spa treatment, all the patients benefited from kinesiotherapy, physical agent modalities (electrotherapy, phototherapy), massage and balneotherapy (peloid therapy, hydrotherapy with mineral waters, crenotherapy).; Other Names: balneotherapy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in the quality of life	Comparison of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire mean between baseline, 3 and 12 months. Quantitative evaluation of the primary outcome.	at baseline, 3 and 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in pain perception (VAS)	Evolution of VAS (Visual Analogic Scale) between baseline, 3 and 12 months.	at baseline, 3 and 12 months
Change in: pain intensity, frequency of pain, frequency of using painkillers and mobility	Evolution of the Modified Laitinen Pain Questionnaire between baseline, 3 and 12 months.	at baseline, 3 and 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Rzeszow
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jolanta Zwolińska, Dr, Medical Faculty, University of Rzeszów

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Zwolinska J, Weres A, Wyszynska J. One-Year Follow-Up of Spa Treatment in Older Patients with Osteoarthritis: A Prospective, Single Group Study. Biomed Res Int. 2018 Jul 2;2018:7492106. doi: 10.1155/2018/7492106. eCollection 2018.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): August 30, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 1, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 29, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): January 3, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 3, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 29, 2017
• Last Verified: December 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Joint Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Rheumatic Diseases; Arthritis; Osteoarthritis
• Other Study ID Numbers: Spa-osteoarthritis

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No