title: Can balneotherapy improve the bowel motility in chronically constipated middle-aged and elderly patients?
abstract: Balneotherapy or spa therapy is usually known for different application forms of medicinal waters and its effects on the human body. Our purpose is to demonstrate the effect of balneotherapy on gastrointestinal motility. A total of 35 patients who were treated for osteoarthritis with balneotherapy from November 2013 through March 2015 at our hospital had a consultation at the general surgery for constipation and defecation disorders. Patients followed by constipation scores, short-form health survey (SF-12), and a colonic transit time (CTT) study before and after balneotherapy were included in this study, and the data of the patients were analyzed retrospectively. The constipation score, SF-12 score, and CTT were found statistically significant after balneotherapy (p < 0.05). The results of our study confirm the clinical finding that a 15-day course of balneotherapy with mineral water from a thermal spring (Bursa, Turkey) improves gastrointestinal motility and reduces laxative consumption in the management of constipation in middle-aged and elderly patients, and it is our belief that treatment with thermal mineral water could considerably improve the quality of life of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Bursa Military Hospital, Bursa, Turkey. dandinoglu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Taner
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6010-7315
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dandinoglu
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Bursa Military Hospital, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozgur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dandin
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tuncer
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ergin
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Sevket Yılmaz Research And Training Hospital, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tihan
authors.affiliation: Mevki Military Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yasam Kemal
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Akpak
authors.affiliation: Guven Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Oguz Ugur
authors.initials: OU
authors.lastname: Aydın
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Uygar
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Teomete
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001452:Balneology; D003248:Constipation / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008900:Mineral Waters / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D008900:Mineral Waters
keywords: Balneotherapy; Bowel motility; Constipation