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 ) .
Balneotherapy at the Dead Sea area for knee osteoarthritis.
BACKGROUND Balneotherapy at the Dead Sea area has been applied in various inflammatory rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis . The efficacy of balneotherapy at the Dead Sea area for the treatment of degenerative rheumatic diseases has not yet been formally evaluated . OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of balneotherapy at the Dead Sea area in patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knees . METHODS Forty patients were r and omly allocated into four groups of 10 patients . Group I was treated by bathing in a sulphur pool , group 2 by bathing in the Dead Sea , group 3 by a combination of sulphur pool and bathing in the Dead Sea , and group 4 served as the control group receiving no balneotherapy . The duration of balneotherapy was 2 weeks . RESULTS Significant improvement as measured by the Lequesne index of severity of osteoarthritis was observed in all three treatment groups , but not in the control group . This improvement lasted up to 3 months of follow-up in patients in all three treatment groups . CONCLUSION Balneotherapy at the Dead Sea area has a beneficial effect on patients with osteoarthritis of the knees , an effect that lastas at least 3 months
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 ) .