Real-world evidence on the effectiveness of balneotherapy in osteoarthritis remains limited. This study evaluated patient-reported outcomes collected during routine sulfurous balneotherapy practice. A retrospective analysis was conducted using routinely collected data from 90 consecutive patients with knee ( n = 45), hip ( n = 30), or hand ( n = 15) osteoarthritis who underwent a standard 12-day balneotherapy protocol at the Saturnia Thermal Center (October 2023). Outcomes included pain intensity assessed with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), functional disability measured using the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and psychological well-being evaluated with the General Health Questionnaire–12 (GHQ-12). Within-group changes were analyzed using paired t-tests ( p < 0.05). Results: VAS scores decreased from 65.0 ± 18.0 mm to 60.5 ± 17.5 mm (Δ = −4.5 mm, p < 0.001), corresponding to 22.5% of the established minimal clinically important difference. HAQ scores improved significantly from baseline to day 12 (mean change − 1.0, p < 0.001), exceeding the instrument’s minimal clinically important difference. GHQ-12 scores also decreased significantly ( p < 0.001). No adverse events were reported. Conclusions: In routine clinical practice, sulfurous balneotherapy was associated with statistically significant improvements in pain, functional disability, and psychological well-being. While short-term pain reduction remained below established clinical significance thresholds, the intervention demonstrated a favorable safety profile. These observational findings warrant confirmation in controlled studies with longer treatment durations and follow-up.
Ferrara et al. (Tue,) studied this question.