Introduction: Degenerative joints and disc disease is accompanied by chronic pain which is the main symptom of the disease. Medical spa therapy has the task of providing comprehensive treatment embracing diseases of limbs as well as other systems and the essential role of medical treatment, in particular spa therapy, is pain relief. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of the spa treatment on the level of pain perception in patients with degenerative joints and disc disease.
Material and methods: The observation embraced 120 people with degenerative joints and disc disease treated in the spa. The study included a comprehensive therapy conducted over a 21-day stays at the spa Przerzeczyn-Zdrój with the application of selected physical treatments, physiotherapy and the use of therapeutic natural resources: peloid mud and healing radon-sulphide water. Moreover, there was psychological counseling and health education conducted. The study also included observation of 21 persons from the control group. However, the patients in the control group did not benefit from balneotherapy, psychological care and education. There was a standard VAS scale for pain and non-standard questionnaire of pain assessment constructed for the study purposes. The assessment of pain using the VAS scale and questionnaire of pain assessment both in the study group and the control group were performed before and after the treatment. The results were analyzed statistically, there was Statistica program in Polish version used. In the analysis of the obtained results there were two tests scheduled: the sign test, the Wilcoxon test and descriptive statistics.
Results: As a result of the spa therapy and treatments administered on an outpatient basis there was reduction of pain intensity observed.
Conclusions: 1. Spa therapy and outpatient treatment reduce the level of pain in patients with degenerative joints and disc disease. 2. The reduction of pain level was more effective in case of therapy conducted in the spa.