Study on balneotherapy and mud baths for fibromyalgia

Laura Bazzichi et al.

December 2013

Fango treatment

Peat & healing mud

41 people took part in the study, which aimed to test and prove the effectiveness of balneotherapy and mud therapy.

The subjects included 39 female participants and two male participants. The participants were all suffering from fibromyalgia and were examined under rheumatological, psychiatric and biochemical aspects. There was a group of 20 people who were allowed to test balneotherapy, and the other 21 participants were treated with mud.

One change in the mud group was the mud bath instead of the usual mud packs. The treatments were carried out six times a week over a period of two weeks in both groups.

Significant pain relief was observed in all patients, whether with balneotherapy or mud bath therapy. The specialists found that the thermal treatment had a good effect on the symptoms of the conditions .

Nevertheless, the mud bath method is more recommendable as its results last longer. In the case of balneotherapy, the effects were reduced after just three months.

The most important information on the study at a glance

Indications: Fibromyalgia
Institution: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Rheumatology Division, University of Pisa, Italy
Title: Study on the effectiveness of balneotherapy and mud baths for fibromyalgia
Brief description: A study shows that balneotherapy and mud therapy relieve pain in fibromyalgia, with the effect of mud baths lasting longer.
Original title: A multidisciplinary approach to study the effects of balneotherapy and mud-bath therapy treatments on fibromyalgia
Link to the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24373369/