The effect of thermotherapy treatments on the degree of calcification of bone tissue

Introduction. One of the most serious problem of contemporary orthopedics is the treatment of changes of bone tissue density. This problem affected significant part of population especially women after the menopause. Bone structure disorders can cause a lot of local and general complications such as osteoporotical fractures. It is of great clinic importance to try to prevent such changes. Objective. This work is aimed at attempting to determine the effect of paraffin treatments on the degree of calcification of the bone tissue in healthy people and in people with postmenopausal osteoporosis. Material. In 2004, a series of pilot studies were carried out at the Physiotherapy Unit of the Academy of Physical Education in Krakow, in which two groups of subjects were employed in order to obtain an answer to the proposed hypotheses. Group one consisted of 44 healthy people, including 38 females, aged 21 – 34 (the average age 23 years), and 6 males, aged 22 - 28 (the average age 25 years). Group two was made up of 17 females with confirmed osteoporosis, aged 54 - 73 (the average age 67 years). Method. The method of the study included history taking by means of a specially prepared survey form, the filling in of which expressed willingness to participate in the research programme. Each subject, no matter which group they belonged to, had a four time bone mineral density measure, made by non-invasive quantitative ultrasonography within the area of the calcanean tubers of both limbs, first carried out before the series of the treatments and once again after 10, 20 and 30 treatments. Each subject also took part in a series of paraffin treatments carried out according to the recommendations of the specialist literature, concerning the methods of application, as well as indications and contraindications for such treatments. The statistical analysis working out the parameters achieved during the research ended the research programme. The statistical analysis included descriptive statistics (the arithmetic mean and the percentage change), the ANOVA analysis, a t-student test for paired data and the correlation coefficient. Results. Despite the considerable intensity of treatments, the statistical analysis of the parameters under the research did not reveal significant differences in the calcification of the calcaneal bone in the limb undergoing the treatment and the control limb. Such results were observed in both groups under the research. Conclusions. The paraffin treatments do not cause the decrease of the mineral density of the bone, both in healthy people and in people with osteoporosis.