Objective: In this controlled study, our aim was to determine the effect of sulphur hot waterbaths on adjuvant arthritis.

Subjects: Adjuvant arthritic rats were treated with artificial sulphur baths.

Design: Complete Freund Adjuvant (CFA) (0.8-1 ml) was injected into the plantar region of right hind paws of Wistar Albino rats to prompt adjuvant arthritis. Rats were divided into 3 groups. The first was treated with 37±1 °C sulphur baths containing approximately 10mg/l S^-2, the second group with 37±1 °C hot tap water baths. The third group served as a control group and did not receive any treatment. Bath therapies were started on the first day after injection and were applied for 20 min 6 times per week for 4 weeks. Rats were kept in a climate chamber with a temperature of 23±1 °C and relative humidity of 40-50% in 12 hour light and dark cycles. Edema in the injected and non-injected paws was measured by using the mercury overflow method.

Results: The edema in the right paws was predominantly increased in the sulphur bath group, whereas the edema in the left paw appeared later and decreased rapidly.

Conclusion: It was shown that sulphur bath has an anti-inflammatory effect on the chronic experimental arthritis model while it has a pro-inflammatory effect on the acute experimental arthritis model in rats.