Number (%) of patients achieving MCII at 3, 6 and 9 months
| Visit | Control | Spa therapy | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Months | 70/179 (39.1%) | 107/183 (58.5%) | |
| 6 Months | 68/187 (36.4%) | 99/195 (50.8%) | 0.005 |
| Details | |||
| Improvement of VAS pain* | 36/186 (19.4%) | 63/193 (32.6%) | |
| Improvement of WOMAC function† | 49/172 (28.5%) | 75/179 (41.9%) | |
| 9 Months | 62/173 (35.8%) | 93/173 (53.8%) | |
MCII is defined as ≥19.9 mm on the VAS pain scale and/or ≥9.1 points on the WOMAC function subscale normalised to a 0–100 score and no knee surgery.
↵* Three missing values for VAS pain.
↵† 31 Missing values for WOMAC function.
MCII, minimal clinically important improvement; VAS, visual analogue scale; WOMAC, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index.