Effects of Physiotherapy vs. Acupuncture in Quality of Life, Pain, Stiffness, Difficulty to Work and Depression of Women with Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Fibromyalgia is a chronic clinical condition characterized by pain and other associated symptoms that have a negative impact on the quality of life of the affected person. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a core stability training physiotherapy program compared to an acupuncture treatment on quality of life, pain, joint stiffness, difficulty to work and depression of women with fibromyalgia. Methods: This was a single-blind, randomized clinical controlled trial. Women with fibromyalgia were randomized to a core stability physiotherapy program group (n = 45), an acupuncture treatment group (n = 45) and a control group (n = 45) for 13 weeks. Measurements were taken at baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 6) and at follow-up (week 13). The primary outcome measure was quality of life (Spanish Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire). The secondary outcome measures were pain, joint stiffness, difficulty to work and depression (Visual Analogue Scale). Results: In total, 103 participants completed the study. The results, from a descriptive perspective, showed improvements in all the outcome measures in both intervention groups (physiotherapy and acupuncture) at weeks 6 and 13 in relation to week 0 and in comparison to the control group. Only the difficulty to work measure in the acupuncture group showed a slight decrease at week 13. In particular, mean (±SD) Spanish Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire score at 6 weeks was 62.89 ± 16.91 for the physiotherapy group, 62.5 ± 18.09 for the acupuncture group and 67.45 ± 17.07 for the control group. However, these improvements were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Core stability-based physiotherapy and acupuncture showed non-significant improvements in quality of life, pain, joint stiffness, difficulty to work and depression in women with fibromyalgia.

Knowledge Mapping of International Research on Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…This shows that in recent years, researchers have gradually shifted from simply focusing on chronic pain to secondary symptoms of psychological problems caused by chronic pain, such as depression and stress. [93][94][95][96] It can be seen from the highly cited papers that several clinical guidelines suggesting the application of acupuncture for CP have been cited most frequently, which also shows that demonstrating the effectiveness of acupuncture for CP is the https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S392796…”

Efficacy of Dry Needling and Acupuncture in Patients with Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The main findings of this meta-analysis were that dry needling could induce a short-term improvements in pain, quality of life, vitality, social function, psychological and severity in patients with FM in comparison with other techniques (e.g., manual myofascial release, cross tape) and that acupuncture, if combined with other treatments, is also an effective technique to reduce the ingestion of analgesics and to improve pain perception, quality of life, pain perception, depression and anxiety from the short-term to up to 12 months. Recent studies highlighted the importance of these outcomes in FM severity [ 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 ]. However, we could not find any study comparing the effectiveness of both techniques within the same research.…”

The role of physiotherapy in fibromyalgia: Current and future perspectives

“…Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition characterized by generalized musculoskeletal pain, hyperalgesia and allodynia, commonly associated with other symptoms such as fatigue, poor sleep quality, anxiety and depression ( Garrido-Ardila et al, 2021 ). The clinical manifestations of this rheumatic disease have significant psychosocial and economic repercussions, with a substantial impact on health status, quality of life and social activities ( Borchers and Gershwin, 2015 ).…”

“…Exercise programs have been consistently recommended for the management of fibromyalgia. Exercise is also one of the treatment approaches used in the clinical practice of physical therapists ( Garrido-Ardila et al, 2021 ). Clinical trials indicate the benefits of exercise, especially in the form of aerobic exercise, resistance or flexibility training, and moderate-intensity resistance training, when compared to no exercise, has been shown to improve pain, sensitivity, physical functioning, and muscle strength.…”