Trial reportRheumatology international2012
The effect of spa therapy in chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled, single-blind, follow-up study.
Trial report in Rheumatology international, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05342051 (The Effects of Immersion in 42℃ Radon, Natrium, Calcium, Bicarbonate Content Thermal-mineral Water on Chronic Low-back Pain. Controlled, Follow-up Study), which is not on this map. Cited by 27 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Effects of Immersion in 42℃ Radon, Natrium, Calcium, Bicarbonate Content Thermal-mineral Water on Chronic Low-back Pain. Controlled, Follow-up Study
Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 74 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evidence-based balneotherapy in Hungary. Updated systematic review and meta-analysis of the Hungarian clinical trials.International journal of biometeorology · 2026Pooled it
- Crenobalneotherapy for low back pain: systematic review of clinical trials.International journal of biometeorology · 2022Pooled it
- Effectiveness of spa therapy for patients with chronic low back pain: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine · 2019Pooled it
- EQ-5D studies in musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases in eight Central and Eastern European countries: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.Rheumatology international · 2017Pooled it
- The role of mineral elements and other chemical compounds used in balneology: data from double-blind randomized clinical trials.International journal of biometeorology · 2017Pooled it
- The effect of journal impact factor, reporting conflicts, and reporting funding sources, on standardized effect sizes in back pain trials: a systematic review and meta-regression.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2015Pooled it
- Evidence-based hydro- and balneotherapy in Hungary--a systematic review and meta-analysis.International journal of biometeorology · 2014Pooled it
- Investigation of the effect of different intensity stabilization exercises on core muscle stiffness and pain in chronic low back pain: a single-blind, randomized controlled trial.Rheumatology international · 2025Trial
- Effects of complex spa therapy in patients with osteoarthritis of the spine receiving treatments in health resorts in south-eastern Poland.Scientific reports · 2022Trial
- Effects of balneological outpatient treatment on clinical parameters and serum cytokine levels in patients with chronic low back pain: a single-blind randomized controlled trial.International journal of biometeorology · 2021Trial
- Balneotherapy for musculoskeletal pain: does the mineral content matter?International journal of biometeorology · 2020Trial
- The effects of the calcium-magnesium-bicarbonate content in thermal mineral water on chronic low back pain: a randomized, controlled follow-up study.International journal of biometeorology · 2018Trial
- The effect of balneotherapy on chronic shoulder pain. A randomized, controlled, single-blind follow-up trial. A pilot study.Clinical rheumatology · 2015Trial
- The effectiveness of balneotherapy in chronic low back pain.Clinical rheumatology · 2014Trial
- Study on the effect of aquatic exercise combined with hot spring bathing for patients with chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Does the predominance of central sensitization alter the effect of balneotherapy combined with conventional physical therapy in patients with chronic low back and knee pain?International journal of biometeorology · 2026Observational
- Challenges of blinding in clinical balneology trials: a scoping review.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Article
- The Impact of Hot Spring Hydrotherapy on Pain Perception and Dysfunction Severity in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2023Article
- An Updated Overview of Low Back Pain Management.Asian spine journal · 2022Article
- Identification of Responders to Balneotherapy among Adults over 60 Years of Age with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study with Trajectory Model Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Effect of thermal water with high mineral content on clinical parameters and quality of life of patients with chronic low back pain was studied. In this randomized controlled, single-blind, follow-up study, 60 patients with chronic low back pain were randomized into two groups. The treatment group received balneotherapy with thermal-mineral water, and the control group bathed in tap water. Changes of the followings were evaluated: visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, range of motion for the lumbar spine, Oswestry index, EuroQol-5D and Short Form-36 questionnaires. In the treatment group, the mobility of the lumbar spine, the Oswestry index, the VAS scores and the EuroQoL-5D index improved significantly. SF-36 items improved significantly in the treated group compared with baseline except for two parameters. Our study demonstrated the beneficial effect of balneotherapy with thermal mineral versus tap water on clinical parameters, along with improvements in quality of life.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.