A similar effect has been found in chronic pelvic inflammatory disease .
The review also revealed that  balneotherapy has some beneficial effects on antioxidant status , and on metabolic and inflammatory parameters .
Based on the results , we conclude that balneotherapy with Hungarian thermal-mineral waters is an effective remedy for  lower back pain  , as well as for knee and h and osteoarthritis
Balneotherapy is appreciated as a traditional treatment modality in medicine .
Hungary is rich in thermal mineral waters .
Balneotherapy has been in extensive use for centuries and its effects have been studied in detail .
Effectiveness of Balneotherapy in Chronic Low Back Pain – a Randomized Single-Blind Controlled Follow-up Study
Objective : Balneotherapy , a domain of medical science , focuses on utilizing the beneficial effects of medicinal waters . Low back pain is among the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders affecting a large proportion of the population during their lifetime . Although small in number , all controlled studies published on this subject have demonstrated the benefits of balneotherapy . This present study was undertaken to compare the effects of hydrotherapy with mineral water vs. tap water on low back pain . Patients and Methods : A single-blind clinical study was carried out to appraise the therapeutic efficacy of reduced sulphurous water on 60 patients with low back pain . 30 subjects took baths in reduced sulphurous mineral water  , whereas the other 30 patients used modified tap water of matching odor . Parameters determined at baseline , after balneo-/hydrotherapy , and at the end of the 3-month follow-up period included the results of the Visual Analogue Scale ( VAS ) score , the modified Oswestry index , mobility of the spine , antalgic posture , tenderness of the paravertebral muscles on palpation , the dose requirements for analgesics , and the efficacy assessed by the investigators and by the patients . Results : Bathing in mineral water result ed in a statistically significant improvement . This was reflected by the VAS ( p < 0.01 ) and manifested by the mitigation of muscle spasm ( p < 0.01 ) , the alleviation of local tenderness ( p < 0.01 ) , the enhanced flexion-extension and rotation of the spine ( p < 0.01 ) as well as by the improvement of the Schober ’s index ( p < 0.01 ) . All these beneficial changes persisted as long as 3 months after the completion of balneotherapy . By contrast , hydrotherapy with tap water result ed only in the temporary improvement of just a single parameter : the VAS score improved significantly ( p < 0.01 ) . Conclusions : Balneotherapy in itself can alleviate  low back pain . As demonstrated by this study , the analgesic efficacy and improvement of mobility accomplished by the use of mineral water is significantly superior to that afforded by hydrotherapy with tap water . Our results clearly establish the beneficial effects of mineral water . Moreover , it is a valuable adjunct to other forms of physical treatment as well as to pharmacotherapy
A similar effect has been found in chronic pelvic inflammatory disease .
The review also revealed that  balneotherapy has some beneficial effects on antioxidant status , and on metabolic and inflammatory parameters .
Based on the results , we conclude that balneotherapy with Hungarian thermal-mineral waters is an effective remedy for  lower back pain  , as well as for knee and h and osteoarthritis
Balneotherapy is appreciated as a traditional treatment modality in medicine .
Hungary is rich in thermal mineral waters .
Balneotherapy has been in extensive use for centuries and its effects have been studied in detail .