Benefits of multimodal therapy for patients with osteoarthritis

Objectives. The purpose of this study is to underline the benefits of the complex, multimodal therapy, composed of the pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of patients suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) with different localizations, namely pain and functioning relief and the increase of the quality of life. Methods. The study included 246 patients with osteoarthritis diagnosed at the clinical examination and confirmed by radiological investigations. All the patients were pharmacologically treated and 127 of them also followed non-pharmacological treatment consisting of a recuperation program kinesiotherapy and electrotherapy. Results. Patients who achieved a significant decrease in pain were those treated with multimodal therapy (pharmacologically, kinesiotherapy and electrotherapy) 27.3%, followed by patients treated only pharmacologically 20%, and patients treated pharmacologically plus kinesiotherapy (without electrotherapy) 10.7%. Patients who achieved moderate improvement in 2 out of 3 (pain, function / mobility, global assessment), according to OARSI also responded to treatment, that means 85.7% who combined pharmacological treatment and kinesiotherapy (without electrotherapy) and only 67% subjects who received only pharmacological treatment. Conclusions. Our findings demonstrate that multimodal therapy, which consists of the combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment, brings important benefits to the management of patients with OA.