ArticleAnesthesia and pain medicine2019
Dry sauna therapy is beneficial for patients with low back pain.
Article in Anesthesia and pain medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sauna bathing: motivations, perceived benefits, and gender differences- a descriptive health promotion study.International journal of circumpolar health · 2026Article
- The Effect of Eight Weeks of Passive Heat Therapy on Mental Health, Sleep, and Chronic Pain in Persons with Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Sauna therapy in rheumatic diseases: mechanisms, potential benefits, and cautions.Rheumatology international · 2025Review
- Sauna bathing in northern Sweden: results from the MONICA study 2022.International journal of circumpolar health · 2024Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDry sauna has been very popular as an alternative therapy for promoting health among people who want to improve their health condition without relying on pharmaceuticals. The aim of this study was to investigate whether dry sauna therapy improved quality of life and reduced pain in participants with low back pain.
methodsStudy participants comprised a total of 37 consecutive patients who were over 20 years of age with low back pain. Dry sauna therapy was performed twice per day for 5 consecutive days over the course of 1 week, thus comprising a total of 10 sessions each of 15 min of exposure to a 90°C dry sauna.
resultsThe verbal numerical rating scale (VNRS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores were significantly reduced after dry sauna therapy (P < 0.001 for both). VNRS pain scores had a median (range) of 5 (2-8) before dry sauna therapy and 3 (0-8) after dry sauna therapy. ODI scores had a median (range) of 12 (2-24) before dry sauna therapy and 8 (1-17) after dry sauna therapy. The proportion of participants who reported successful treatment (excellent + good) was 70%. No adverse effects were observed related to dry sauna therapy.
conclusionsOur results suggest that dry sauna therapy may be useful to improve quality of life and reduce pain in patients with low back pain. Therefore, pain physicians can recommend dry sauna therapy as an alternative and complimentary therapy for patients with low back pain.
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