We found silver level evidence ( www.cochranemsk.org ) concerning the beneficial effects of mineral baths compared to no treatment .
Of all other balneological treatments no clear effects were found .
BACKGROUND Balneotherapy ( or spa therapy , mineral baths ) for patients with arthritis is one of the oldest forms of therapy .
One of the aims of balneotherapy is to soothe the pain and as a consequence to relieve patients ' suffering and make them feel well .
In this up date we included one extra study .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effectiveness of  balneotherapy  for patients with osteoarthritis ( OA ) .
Home exercises are as effective as outpatient hydrotherapy for osteoarthritis of the hip.
Hydrotherapy for OA of the hip has rarely been evaluated in controlled studies . Forty-seven patients with OA of the hip were followed for 18 weeks . Patients were r and omly allocated either to a regimen of home exercises or to twice weekly hydrotherapy for 6 weeks in addition to home exercises . There was an improvement seen in both subjective and objective measures in both groups with treatment . There was no significant difference between the two groups . Response to treatment appeared independent of age , sex and radiological severity . We conclude that for most patients , a carefully grade d and supervised regimen of home exercises is beneficial and there is little benefit in adding hydrotherapy to this regimen
We found silver level evidence ( www.cochranemsk.org ) concerning the beneficial effects of mineral baths compared to no treatment .
Of all other balneological treatments no clear effects were found .
BACKGROUND Balneotherapy ( or spa therapy , mineral baths ) for patients with arthritis is one of the oldest forms of therapy .
One of the aims of balneotherapy is to soothe the pain and as a consequence to relieve patients ' suffering and make them feel well .
In this up date we included one extra study .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effectiveness of  balneotherapy  for patients with osteoarthritis ( OA ) .