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 ) .
The Change of Well-Being Associated with Spa Therapy
Objective : The present exploratory study sought to examine the changes of well-being associated with 3 weeks of resort based spa therapy . This is a traditional form of health enhancement incorporating balneotherapy , physical therapies , and health education in an inpatient setting . Patients and Method : Subjects were spa patients ( n = 153 , mean age 58 years ) with chronic pain and other age related complaints of moderately higher than normal prevalence . The well-being variables were vegetative complaints , pain , fatigue , positive and negative mood , and health satisfaction assessed at the beginning and end of spa treatment as well as 5 weeks and 12 months thereafter . Results : Well-being improved significantly in all variables during spa therapy , the improvement continuing with a slight deterioration at 5 weeks after the stay . After 12 months , vegetative complaints and fatigue had again reached pre-spa levels , whereas pain , positive and negative mood as well as health satisfaction remained improved . Both patients with high and low levels of pain increase their well-being , although pain patients showed greater improvements in some of the measures . Subjects not responding to spa therapy were older and showed less health satisfaction . Conclusions : The results suggest that spa therapy may be a powerful tool in enhancing well-being in progressed middle aged adults with common health impairments
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 ) .