Mud for Arthritis Pain

Mud may significantly improve pain in knee osteoarthritis patients, a new study suggests.

Mud bath therapy has been studied as a potential therapy in patients with osteoarthrosis, psoriasis, fibromyalgia, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatism (children and adults), fertility conditions and chronic encephalopathies. Mud bath therapy may have anti-inflammatory effects, although additional study is needed in humans to confirm this finding.

Researchers from the Gulhane School of Medicine in Ankara, Turkey, investigated the efficacy of mud pack treatment in patients with knee osteoarthritis. They also examined the chemical factors in the mud that lead to the build up of these effects.

They assigned 60 patients to receive either a directly applied mud pack or a nylon-covered mud pack. In the mud group (directly applied mud), 30 patients had heated mud, up to 43 degrees Celsius, applied 15 times to both knees for 30 minutes. In the control group (nylon-covered mud), 30 had the same treatment as the study group except the heated mud was applied over an impermeable nylon pack.

The patients were evaluated before and after the intervention and followed up for 24 weeks at four-week intervals.

The study found that compared to baseline, significant decreases were observed in arthritis scores, pain intensity, disease severity index scores and pain reliever consumption in both groups after the intervention. Observed improvements in the study group were found to be superior to the control during the whole post-intervention follow-up, except for pain reliever consumption in the third week. A significant number of patients in the study group showed minimal clinically important improvement as compared to the control group.

The authors concluded that mud pack treatment significantly improved the pain and functional status of patients with knee osteoarthritis, whether applied directly or coated with nylon. Direct application was found to be superior, which implies chemical properties of the mud may contribute to the build up of the therapeutic effect.

Osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease (DJD) or osteoarthrosis, occurs when the cartilage in the joints begins to break down. The cartilage serves as a cushion between bones, allowing the joint to move without pain. Therefore, individuals with osteoarthritis experience pain and reduced mobility in their joints where cartilage is degrading. Osteoarthritis may affect any joint in the body.

It is estimated that 40 million Americans and 70-90 percent of persons older than 75 years are affected by osteoarthritis. Although symptoms of osteoarthritis occur earlier in women (around the ages of 50-55), the prevalence among men and women is equal in older ages. In addition to age, risk factors include joint injury, obesity and mechanical stress, such as joint stress when pitching a baseball or playing tennis.

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Comments

[Shoshanna]

This therapy would certainly be good news! Mud pack therapy has been studied in rheumatoid arthritis as far back as the early 1990s, but not much in osteoarthritis. This study is promising, with a follow-up of 24 weeks showing continued pain relief and increased mobility of the treated joints. This would give terroir a new meaning!

[theresa]

This may be a silly question, but how could the chemical properties in mud affect knee OA? Can compounds found in mud pack therapy penetrate the skin, or is the benefit simply due to the sustained application of a certain temperature to the affected area? And if the latter is the case, couldn’t any substance be used if it holds a stable temperature for a long period of time? And what about hydrotherapy?

[DT]

What are the types of mud? Is there any compound added to it? This is very interesting because I've never heard that mud can relieve pain. What is its mechanism action? I would really like to know more about it.

[molly]

I have heard of this before, but I am not sure if there are any types of public mud baths available in the US. I have been to one in Vietnam, and let me tell you, the experience was awesome. We each got a tub, then mud was run into the tub through a plumbing system. After about an hour of mud bathing, we had to sun bath for another half an hour or so (I am not sure about the purpose of dried mud). Then we rinsed off the dried mud with clean water. After that everything felt great. My hair got extremely smooth (like I just washed my hair with a conditioner) and my skin felt like I just applied lotion on. It felt completely refreshing. The only thing that worried me was whether the mud was sanitized at all.

[ATAD]

I thought it was interesting to find out that in certain spas, mud therapy has caught on as a real money-making trend. Certain spas are charging approximately $80 for one hour of mud-therapy service. Who would have thought that your own backyard mud could be a goldmine?

[Julia]

It would be interesting to evaluate the heated mud affect against the application of a hot water bottle or a hot pack. That would help determine if it is the weight factor of the application, the heat factor, as well as which particular properties of the material used that is making the difference.

Then, for those individuals who do receive relief from these various treatments, we need to see what they have in common physiologically that differs from the subjects who did not experience significant reductions in pain. There are always so many variables.

[Tammy]

I agree with DT - too much of anything may create problems, but just one reading of any prescription, including Viagra® , makes it clear that our human made-drugs, while offering many important benefits, also offer a staggering number of negative side effects and potentially new problems. It reminds me of a connect-the-dots drawing. Start with one problem, take a synthetic or chemically manipulated "cure," and while you are getting positive results, you also develop new symptoms unrelated to the original problem, but definitely connected to the "cure." A new prescription is offered to heal the second problem, and we may experience a repeat of that scenario as we go from condition to cure, condition to cure. I value much of modern medicine but feel that in looking for a quick fix and financial reward, we create new issues that we must then confront tomorrow.

[Fotte]

Mud application can actually cause skin discoloration when used as heat therapy. Clijsen et al. conducted a study in 2008 and observed this effect. They claimed that this is due to "an increased perfusion of the microcirculation and a flooding of the superficial capacitance system.: Fortunately, this effect is only transient.
I have included the link for the abstract if anyone is interested http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18412568?ordinalpos=5&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

[ann]

Molly,

Thanks for sharing the story. I would like to try it one day if it available in U.S. Does it hurt your skin when you let it dry? I think the mud must be different than the normal mud in the backyard.

[ashley]

It appears that mud therapy is also strongly recommended in patients with diabetes because it helps cool the nervous system, eliminate toxic matter from the body, relax skin pores, improve circulation and tone and energize the skin tissues. However, it is suggested that 12 mud therapy sessions are advised to see substantial results.

[Kramer S]

This sounds very promising for arthritis sufferers! I am curious as to the source of the mud. The minerals in the earth vary from region to region, depending, I suppose, on their indigenous vegetation and climatic history.
I have had wonderful experience drinking clay in water. First, I was given green clay that completely cleared up a bad breath problem. Now I drink red (Montmorillonite) clay, which is also used by NASA for their astronauts to combat the loss of calcium experienced in space. Those two different clays are mined in different parts of the US and contain different therapeutic elements. It definitely makes you think about what wonderful healing ingredients may be not only under our nose, but also underfoot!

[JG]

The reason mud is declared the new health breakthrough is merely based on the fundamentals of ancient civilizations. Mud is known to contain various minerals, thus, it was thought that through the use of mud baths the depleted minerals could be put back into your body. Mud baths and wraps are excellent for skin exfoliation, absorption of excess oil, improvement in skin texture and softness, stimulation of the circulatory system, release of toxins from the skin and relaxation of the muscles. Since mud from different areas around the world are richer in some minerals verses others, go to a natural health store and select the mud of your choice for an effortless way to feel revived.

[moon]

“Thousands of Germans bathe in them every year to benefit their health, and these warm baths have a long history as a natural cure. The people literally float in the mud because of its high mineral content," she says. Every day, she fills multiple, 200 litre-tubs with the brew, which has been treated to remove micro organisms and germs. The ill or stressed then climb in and sit in them for up to 30 minutes.” http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Germanys-Therapeutic-Mud-Baths-Have-Healing-Qualities-17828-1/

[ladybrith]

This is completely off the topic, but has anyone heard of the raining mud that happened in Texas last March or so? It turned out to be (or believed to be) a combination of a dust storm and a rain storm. So for those of you who want to experience a public mud bath, you should visit Texas and see for yourself if the arthritic pain goes away. http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=122f4905-3a6a-40a4-88cd-60fd1ce190a9

[eucalyptus oil]

Interesting. Mud to relieve pain for arthritis. I use eucalyptus oil now, but I'll try this remedy. What will the mud do to my skin though?

[drbraceco.blogspot.com]

Wow! these Knee Braces are very good. its better to wear knee braces for Knee Pain. I feel very comfortable after wearing these Knee braces.

http://www.drbraceco.blogspot.com

[Ulhas tadnulwadikar]

My wife is suffering from pain in the ankle joint and
it is for this reason I was looking for information on
mud packs. I have just made a beginning and have started treating her with mud from the Ant Hill. I shall report my findings in due course. I shall continue to treat for at least 15 days.