Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2026
The Lower Body Positive Pressure Treadmill for Knee Osteoarthritis Rehabilitation
Published on: July 22, 2019
Comparison of a generic and a disease specific quality of life scale to assess a comprehensive spa therapy program
Bilge Yilmaz1, A Salim Goktepe, Ridvan Alaca
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Turkish Armed Forces Rehabilitation Center, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey. byilmaz@rehab.gata.edu.fr
Objectives:
To compare the differences or correlation between the results obtained from a generic and a disease-specific instrument for the study group and to assess the short-term effects of spa therapy on quality of life of patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Patients And Methods:
Fifty patients with knee osteoarthritis were randomly recruited. They underwent a comprehensive spa therapy program for 21 days. Forty-six patients completed the study. The results were evaluated with Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form-36 (SF-36) and Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale 2 (AIMS2).
Results:
Statistically significant improvement was observed in all subscales of SF-36. All subscales of AIMS2 improved too, but only half of them were significant. Correlation between matching subscales of each test was also significant, except physical activity.
Conclusion:
Comprehensive spa therapy seems to increase the quality of life of patients with knee osteoarthritis for short term.
