Does balneotherapy provide additive effects to physical therapy in patients with subacute supraspinatus tendinopathy? A randomized, controlled, single-blind study

This study assessed the additional contribution of balneotherapy on physical therapy in subacute supraspinatus tendinopathy. Ninety patients with subacute supraspinatus tendinopathy were included. They were randomized into two equal groups. In group 1 (n = 45), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), hot pack, ultrasound treatments, and Codman’s and range of motion (ROM) exercises were performed. In group 2 (n = 45), balneotherapy was added to the treatment program. In both groups, shoulder active ROM and handgrip strength were measured. Pain was evaluated using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) (rest, sleep, movement); functional assessment and quality of life were measured respectively with the Shortened Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire (QuickDASH), and the Short Form-36 health survey (SF 36) form. All measurements were repeated before and after 15 treatment sessions. There were statistically significant differences between the before and after assessment parameters in group 1 (all p < 0.05), but not for SF-36 General Health Perceptions, SF-36 Mental Health sub-parameters, and handgrip strengths. However, there were statistically significant differences between all the evaluation before and after the treatment in group 2 (all p < 0.05). When the two groups were compared in terms of alpha gains, statistically significant differences were observed in favor of group 2 in all measurements (all p < 0.05) except for SF-36 Emotional Role Difficulty and SF-36 Mental Health sub-parameters. This study shows that the addition of balneotherapy to physical therapy for subacute supraspinatus tendinopathy can make additional contributions to shoulder ROM, pain, handgrip strength, functional status, and quality of life.