title: Analgesic efficacy of the serial application of a sulfurated mud bath at home.
abstract: The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of a series of applications of sulfurated mud baths in outpatients suffering from back pain. Within 2 weeks 13 patients took 6 sulfurated mud baths (group A) and 12 patients 6 tap water baths (group B) at home. Before the bath and over 48 h after starting the 1st and the 6th bath, pain intensity was evaluated by the patients according to a visual analogue scale (VAS). The main outcome parameter was the weighted (for time of observation) sum of pain intensity (SPI) after the 6th bath. The mean SPI in group A was 741 mm x h (95% CI 594-864 mm x h) and in group B 1,112 mm x h (95% CI 929-1,252 mm x h) (p = 0.009), suggesting a significantly stronger analgesic effect of a series of sulfurated mud baths than of a series of tap water baths.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Naturheilkunde, Departement für Innere Medizin, Universitätsspital, Zürich, (Switzerland).
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kristof
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gatzen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hellenbrecht
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001416:Back Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D001494:Baths; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009094:Mud Therapy; D010045:Outpatients; D010147:Pain Measurement; D013431:Sulfates
chemical_list: D013431:Sulfates