engleski

Efficacy of ointment containing comfrey and propolis in the treatment of mild acute sports injuries

Purpose: Comfrey (Symphytum officinale L) is a medicinal plant with a long tradition in the treatment of painful muscular and joint complaints. Propolis has been used since ancient times for the treatment of various conditions, such as wound healing treatment as one of them. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of ointment containing comfrey and propolis in the treatment of mild acute sports injuries. Methods: This prospective cohort epidemiological study that included 144 participants of both genders, mean age 36.9±15.7 years, was conducted in the general practice setting in Osijek, Croatia, from April till September 2016. Participants were instructed to use tested ointment three times daily during three weeks. A specially designed questionnaire was used to collect demographic data and data concerning their sports injury symptoms and to evaluate the intensity of the latter data according to the scale defined in the research protocol. Results: The study showed statistically significant improvements in the intensity of pain of participants (Wilcoxon signed-rank test ; p<0.001) as well as statistically significant differences in proportions of participants with swelling (McNemar's test ; p<0.001) and bruise (McNemar's test ; p<0.001). Conclusions: The tested product - ointment with comfrey and propolis is proven clinically effective in eliminating pain and reducing swelling and bruising caused by various mild acute sports injuries thus can be recommended as one of the first-line products in the treatment of described health problems.

ointment ; comfrey ; propolis ; sports injuries ; Croatia

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