Therapeutic effects of mud packs on joint ailment and quality of life from patients with gonarthrosis—A controlled clinical study

Background

Osteoarthritis, the early decline of a joint, is a common illness. Due to walking upright a high burden is exerted on the lower limb, which causes arthrosis especially on the knee joint. More than 90% of over 65 year olds suffer from gonarthrosis. Initial symptoms are pain triggered by motion, later on accompanied by pain at rest during the night and morning stiffness. Frequently gonarthrosis progresses in waves with acute pain attacks accompanied by restricted movements. Patients experience increasing difficulty in accomplishing activities of daily living independently, which leads to enormous social problems.

While positive effects of different naturopathic treatments on pain relief and quality of life for patients with gonarthrosis are demonstrated , clinical studies to examine the effect of mud packs are still lacking, although literature on expert knowledge has repeatedly alluded to it's positive effects on joint diseases.

Methods

Patients with knee ailment were recruited from a general practice and by advertisement in a daily newspaper. They were informed and randomly assigned to intervention and control group. The control group received additionally to their regular treatment a written information on special gymnastic exercises, while the intervention group received mud packs on both legs for 60min twice a week for 3 weeks (altogether 6 applications). The SF 36 was used as the main measure for the quality of life immediately before, directly after and 3 month after the end of treatment. Further measures used as a control were WOMAC-questionnaire to assess range of movement, a 10-point analogue scale for the subjective sensation of pain (in the knee joint), and the consumption of analgesic drugs.

Results

Subjective as well as objective measures improved, especially the sensation of pain.

Discussion

Because gonarthrosis cannot be treated in a causative manner and many symptomatic curing therapies are associated with considerable risks, a gentle, effective physical therapy is a beneficial alternative. Since cold applications of kneippism show positive effects on joint ailment [3], comparing the effects of both therapies in a following study might be of interest.

Conclusion

Results suggest that mud packs raise the quality of life and lowering the discomfort of patients with gonarthrosis. It is an additional therapy which has low side effects.