We found no statistically significant differences in pain on the McGill Question naire or in physical disability ( very low level of evidence ) between balneotherapy and the other interventions .
Overall evidence is insufficient to show that balneotherapy is more effective than no treatment , that one type of bath is more effective than another or that one type of bath is more effective than mudpacks , exercise or relaxation therapy
BACKGROUND No cure for rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) is known at present , so treatment often focuses on management of symptoms such as pain , stiffness and mobility .
Treatment options include pharmacological interventions , physical therapy treatments and balneotherapy .
Balneotherapy is defined as bathing in natural mineral or thermal waters ( e.g. mineral baths , sulphur baths , Dead Sea baths ) , using mudpacks or doing both .
Despite its popularity , reported scientific evidence for the effectiveness or efficacy of balneotherapy is sparse .
This review , which evaluates the effects of balneotherapy in patients with RA , is an up date of a Cochrane review first published in 2003 and up date d in 2008 .
OBJECTIVES To perform a systematic review on the benefits and harms of balneotherapy in patients with RA in terms of pain , improvement , disability , tender joints , swollen joints and adverse events .
Spa therapy for gonarthrosis: a prospective study
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of spa therapy on clinical parameters of patients with gonarthrosis . Patients with gonarthrosis ( n=33 ) underwent a 2-week spa therapy using three treatment regimes and a 20-week follow-up as follows : group I ( n=11 ) had mineral water baths and hot native mineral mud packs , group II ( n=12 ) had mineral water baths and rinsed mineral-free mud packs and group III ( n=10 ) had tap water baths and mineral-free mud packs . The patients and the assessing rheumatologist were blinded to the difference in the treatment protocol s. A significant improvement in the index of severity of the knee ( ISK ) , as well as night pain scores , was achieved in group I. Improvement in physical findings and a reduction in pain ratings on a visual analogue scale ( VAS ) did not reach statistical significance . Analgesic consumption was significantly decreased in both groups I and III for up to 12 weeks . Global improvement assessed by patients and physician was observed in all three groups up to 16 weeks but persisted to the end of the follow-up period in group I only . Patients with gonarthrosis seemed to benefit from spa therapy under all three regimes . However , for two parameters ( night pain and ISK ) the combination of mineral water baths and mud packs ( group I ) appeared to be superior
We found no statistically significant differences in pain on the McGill Question naire or in physical disability ( very low level of evidence ) between balneotherapy and the other interventions .
Overall evidence is insufficient to show that balneotherapy is more effective than no treatment , that one type of bath is more effective than another or that one type of bath is more effective than mudpacks , exercise or relaxation therapy
BACKGROUND No cure for rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) is known at present , so treatment often focuses on management of symptoms such as pain , stiffness and mobility .
Treatment options include pharmacological interventions , physical therapy treatments and balneotherapy .
Balneotherapy is defined as bathing in natural mineral or thermal waters ( e.g. mineral baths , sulphur baths , Dead Sea baths ) , using mudpacks or doing both .
Despite its popularity , reported scientific evidence for the effectiveness or efficacy of balneotherapy is sparse .
This review , which evaluates the effects of balneotherapy in patients with RA , is an up date of a Cochrane review first published in 2003 and up date d in 2008 .
OBJECTIVES To perform a systematic review on the benefits and harms of balneotherapy in patients with RA in terms of pain , improvement , disability , tender joints , swollen joints and adverse events .