MedPath

THERMARTHROSE: Gonarthrosis and Water Cure

Phase 3
Completed
Conditions
Osteoarthritis, Knee
Pain
Interventions
Drug: thermal cure
Drug: 3 days access to watering place at 6 months
Registration Number
NCT00348777
Lead Sponsor
Association Francaise pour la Recherche Thermale
Brief Summary

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic effect of a thermal treatment on gonarthrosis, with an increase of the number of patients presenting a clinically significant improvement.

Detailed Description

Gonarthrosis is a frequent pathology and the prevalence increase with age (prevalence: 6,1% in an adult population more than 30 years old and 40% after 75 years). It has a large impact on the quotidian life of the patients and it cause important costs for social protection. Relative to the treatment, numerous recommendations have been proposed (EULAR, ACR specifically). But no one of them recommends thermal treatment even if it is largely used in Europe and especially in France for the treatment of this pathology. Several prospective controlled randomized studies have evaluated the effect of the thermal treatments in rheumatology and some of them are relative, in part, to Gonarthrosis. So, we conduct a phase III randomized, controlled, single blind study evaluating the therapeutic effect at 6 month of a thermal cure on gonarthrosis.

In a situation of physical treatment, it's impossible to use a placebo as control: blind can't be respected. Whatever the methodology employed, non blind of the patient create a bias. So, we hope that the Zelen method for randomization will reduce the bias due to the dissatisfaction of the patients in the control group.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
462
Inclusion Criteria
  • ACR criteria: knee pain and one of the tree following conditions: Age > 50 years, Morning stiffness< 30 minutes and articular crackling.
  • osteophytes visible on knee radiography.
  • knee radiography less than 3 years old: face, schuss, axial of kneecap cliché.
  • Actual gonarthrosis intensity on Visual Analogic Scale > or = 30mm.
Exclusion Criteria
  • arthrosis limited to the femoro-patellar compartments.

  • severe depressive syndrome, psychosis.

  • Thermal cure less than 6 month before.

  • Contra-indication or predictable inability to tolerate thermal cure.

  • Profession lied to hydrotherapy.

  • previous knee treatments:

    • massage, physiotherapy and acupuncture since less than 1 month;
    • infiltration since less than 3 months;
    • NSAI since less than 5 days;
    • analgesic since less than 12 hours;
    • modification in the medicinal anti-arthrosis treatment since less than 3 months.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
1thermal curegroup with 18 days thermal cure
23 days access to watering place at 6 monthsgroup with no thermal cure but only access 3 days to watering place 6 months after inclusion
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
the more small change clinically relevant of the WOMAC indice and/or of pain.at 6 months
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Treatments: medicinal consumption, physical treatments, hospitalization, consumption of cares getting back by the Medicaid of Savoie (CPAM, only for the study centre of Aix-les-Bains)inclusion and 1,3,6 months
WOMAC indice and pain (EVA)at inclusion and 1, 3, 6 and 9 months
The clinically acceptable symptom for the patientat 6 months
Clinical evaluationat inclusion and 1, 3 and 6 months
Opinion of the patient and the physicianat 1, 3 and 6 months
Quality of life: questionnaire SF-36inclusion and 1, 3, 6 and 9 months

Trial Locations

Locations (3)

Hôpital thermal

🇫🇷

DAX, France

Cabinet Médical

🇫🇷

Chambery, France

Cabinet médical

🇫🇷

Balaruc-les-Bains, France

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