Evidence map›Paper›PMID 21573819›Full record

Trial reportInternational journal of biometeorology2012

Efficacy of balneotherapy on pain, function and quality of life in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Antonella Fioravanti, Chiara Giannitti, Barbara Bellisai, Francesca Iacoponi, Mauro Galeazzi

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in International journal of biometeorology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01538043 (Spa Therapy in Knee Osteoarthritis), which is not on this map. Cited by 35 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
35citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
7.5field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT01538043 phase4completednot on this map

Spa Therapy in Knee Osteoarthritis: Study on Cost/Effectiveness - Cost/Utility and Possible Mechanisms of Action

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of SienaRan2010 to 2013Enrolled100ConditionsOsteoarthritis, KneeArmslocal mud-pack therapy and balneotherapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

35 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 83 citations in OpenAlex.

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  18. Challenges of blinding in clinical balneology trials: a scoping review.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Antonella FioravantiRheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine and Immunological Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy. fioravanti7@virgilio.it
Chiara Giannitti
Barbara Bellisai
Francesca Iacoponi
Mauro Galeazzi
University of Siena · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The aims of this study were to evaluate whether balneotherapy with mineral sulphate-bicarbonate-calcium water could determine substantial symptomatic improvement, and to detect any changes in the quality of life (QoL) of patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA). This was a prospective randomized, single blind controlled trial. Sixty outpatients with primary bilateral knee OA, according to ACR criteria, were included in the study and randomized to one of two groups: group I (30 patients) was treated with a daily sulphate-bicarbonate-calcium mineral water bath; group II (30 patients), the control group, continued their regular outpatient care routine. At baseline, after 15 days and after 12 weeks, patients were evaluated by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for spontaneous pain, Lequesne and Womac Index for gonarthrosis, SF-36, Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale (AIMS) and symptomatic drugs consumption. We observed a significant improvement of all parameters at the end of the cycle of balneotherapy which persisted throughout the follow-up period, whereas in the control group no significant differences were noted. This symptomatic effect was confirmed by the significant reduction of symptomatic drugs consumption. The differences between the two groups were significant for all considered parameters already from the 15th day and persisted during follow-up. Tolerability of balneotherapy seemed to be good, with light and transitory side effects. Our results confirm that the beneficial effects of balneotherapy in patients with knee OA last over time, with positive effects on the painful symptomatology, a significant improvement on functional capacities and QoL. Balneotherapy can represent a useful backup to pharmacological treatment of knee OA or a valid alternative for patients who do not tolerate pharmacological treatments.

Indexed as

BalneologyAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedOsteoarthritis, KneePain ManagementQuality of LifeTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID21573819
OpenAlexW2035893397

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.