Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33530266›Full record

SynthesisMedicine2021

The effect of thermal mineral waters on pain relief, physical function and quality of life in patients with osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Tianwen Ma, Xiaopeng Song, Yuanqiang Ma, Hailong Hu, Hui Bai, Yue Li, Li Gao

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
3.3field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Trial
  5. Article
  6. Challenges of blinding in clinical balneology trials: a scoping review.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025
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  8. Article
  9. Signaling Paradigms of HAntioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024
    Review
  10. Article
  11. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Tianwen MaHeilongjiang Key Laboratory for Laboratory Animals and Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.
Xiaopeng SongHeilongjiang Key Laboratory for Laboratory Animals and Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.
Yuanqiang MaDepartment of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Korea.
Hailong HuHeilongjiang Key Laboratory for Laboratory Animals and Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.
Hui BaiHeilongjiang Key Laboratory for Laboratory Animals and Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.
Yue LiHeilongjiang Key Laboratory for Laboratory Animals and Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.
Li GaoHeilongjiang Key Laboratory for Laboratory Animals and Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.
Northeast Agricultural University · CNChungbuk National University · KR

Funding

the Applied Technology Research and Development Plan of Heilongjiang, China GX18B023the National Key R&D Program of China 2017YFD0502200
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTo evaluate the effectiveness and safety of thermal mineral waters therapy for pain relief, and functional improvement, and quality of life (QoL) in patients with osteoarthritis (OA).

methodsCochrane Library, Web of science, EMBASE, ClinicalTrials.gov and PubMed were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials. Study inclusion criteria included assessment of the visual analog scale and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities scores and the lequesne index to evaluate the effects of thermal mineral waters on pain relief and functional improvement. Also, studies that used the European quality of life 5-dimension scale and health assessment questionnaire to assess the impact of thermal mineral waters therapy on improving QoL were included.

resultsSixteen studies were included. A meta-analysis showed that thermal mineral waters therapy could significantly reduce pain as measured visual analog scale and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities assessments (P < .001). Thermal mineral waters significantly reduced the lequesne index (P < .001) and improved joint function. Finally, compared with a control group, European quality of life 5-dimension scale and health assessment questionnaire improved significantly in patients with OA receiving thermal mineral waters therapy (P  < .05). There is no evidence that thermal mineral waters is unsafe for treating OA.

conclusionThermal mineral waters therapy is a safe way to relieve pain, improve physical functions, and QoL in patients with OA.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overBalneologyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMineral WatersOsteoarthritisPain ManagementPain MeasurementQuality of LifeRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment OutcomeMineral Waters

Identifiers

PMID33530266
PMCPMC7850667
OpenAlexW3127135972

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.