Use of spa therapy to improve the quality of life of chronic low back pain patients

OBJECTIVES. This study assessed the effectiveness of adding spa therapy to usual drug treatment in chronic low back pain patients. METHODS. A total of 224 patients were assigned randomly to either a treatment (n = 128) or a control (n = 96) group. Subjects in both groups received usual drug therapy. Those in the treatment group also underwent spa therapy in Vittel, France, for 6 days a week for 3 consecutive weeks. Effectiveness was assessed using a quality-of-life scale (the Duke Health Profile), clinical measures, and the Roland and Morris disability questionnaire. Groups were compared using an analysis of variance with repeated measures. RESULTS. At both 3 weeks and 3 months, patients in the treatment group exhibited significant improvement in measures of: physical and mental dimensions of quality of life, anxiety, depression, pain duration, pain intensity, and functional disability. CONCLUSION. This study suggests that spa therapy is an effective treatment for chronic low back pain patients.