SynthesisInternational journal of biometeorology2021
Clinical efficacy of medical hydrology: an umbrella review.
Synthesis in International journal of biometeorology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07399145 (Comparison of the Effects of Prolotherapy and Rehabilitation Treatments in Low Back Pain), which is not on this map. Cited by 14 papers, 3 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.
Comparison of the Effects of Prolotherapy and Rehabilitation Treatments in Low Back Pain
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 35 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
- How Effective Is Drinking Natural Mineral Water against Heartburn from Functional Dyspepsia, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, or Other Causes? A Systematic Review of Clinical Intervention Studies.Complementary medicine research · 2024Pooled it
- Sleep and spa therapies: What is the role of balneotherapy associated with exercise? A systematic review.Frontiers in physiology · 2022Pooled it
- 4-Week Comparative Outcomes of Standard Physiotherapy, Balneotherapy Plus Physiotherapy and Dextrose Prolotherapy in Patients with Low Back Pain: A Non-Randomized Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Trial
- Evaluation of the benefit of thermal spa therapy in plaque psoriasis: the PSOTHERMES randomized clinical trial.International journal of biometeorology · 2022Trial
- Relevance of balneotherapy for osteoarthritis-a systematic literature review covering the past 5 years.Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift (1946) · 2025Review
- Relevance of balneotherapy for back pain-a systematic literature review covering the past 5 years.Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift (1946) · 2025Review
- Balneotherapy in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: protocol of "FIBROTHERM", a prospective multi-center, two-cohort observational study.International journal of biometeorology · 2025Article
- Balneotherapy as a Complementary Intervention for Stress and Cortisol Reduction: Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Water-based interventions in rheumatic diseases: mechanisms, benefits, and clinical applications.Rheumatology international · 2024Review
- The Potential Role of Spa Therapy in Managing Frailty in Rheumatic Patients: A Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The Effects of Lakitelek Thermal Water and Tap Water on Skin Microbiome, a Randomized Control Pilot Study.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- 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
- Defining a new perspective in Environmental Health: the healing environment.International journal of biometeorology · 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
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The aim of this research was to summarize available scientific evidence on the efficacy of medical hydrology for the management of any health condition. The search was conducted on 26th March 2021, in the following databases: Medline (via PubMed), EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. All relevant literature reviews investigating the clinical efficacy of interventions characterized by the use of natural mineral waters and muds were included. The quality of studies was assessed with the "AMSTAR 2" tool. After article screening, 49 reviews were included in this work. Overall, retrieved scientific evidence suggests that spa therapy is beneficial for patients affected by some specific musculoskeletal conditions, with improvements potentially lasting up to 9 months. Moreover, balneotherapy can be an integrative support for the management of chronic venous insufficiency and some inflammatory skin diseases like psoriasis. The role of spa therapy in rehabilitation appears relevant as well. More limited, although interesting evidence exists for inhalation and hydropinic therapies. Globally, retrieved evidence suggests that, besides individual wellbeing, medical hydrology can be useful for public health. In particular, higher-quality studies seem to support the integrative use of spa-related interventions for conditions like osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, low back pain of rheumatic origin, and chronic venous insufficiency. However, the body of evidence has some limitations and further clinical trials should be designed for each relevant application to consolidate and expand acquired knowledge.
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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 Socratic graph.