Plain Language Summary of Fibromyalgia Study

Journal Citation: Ye, G., Miao, R., Chen, J., Huang, J., & Jiang, M. (2024). Effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Network Meta-Analysis. Journal of Pain Research, 17, 305–319. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38268732/

Background

This study looks at how well different alternative treatments, for example acupuncture and massage, work for people with fibromyalgia. Researchers want to see if these treatments can help reduce pain, improve sleep, and make people feel better overall.

Who was studied

The study included information from 2877 people with fibromyalgia who took part in 41 different studies, published from 2002 – 2023, that assessed 20 different treatments.

How was the study conducted

Researchers combined results from many studies to compare different treatments. They looked at treatments like acupuncture, dry needling, massage, cupping and others to see which worked best for reducing pain and improving sleep and mood, compared to conventional drug therapy or placebo.

Limitations of Study

The results varied a lot between studies, which makes it harder to be sure about the conclusions. The study only looked at research published in English and Chinese, so it might have missed other important studies.

Conclusions

The research shows that some alternative medicine treatments work better than standard treatments for helping with pain, anxiety, and sleep in people with fibromyalgia (FM).
Using two of these treatments together can work even better. These treatments are safe and can be a good choice for managing FM. Some treatments had mild side effects like small bruises or feeling faint, but these were not serious and didn’t need more treatment.

FAC Research Committee Comments: This study is helpful in showing that alternative treatments can work for fibromyalgia. However, many studies often involve a combination of various therapies. It is difficult to determine if individual treatments are helpful by themselves. We need more studies to confirm these findings and to include research from more languages. Despite this, the study provides useful information for people looking for different ways to manage their fibromyalgia.

Article summarized by FAC Research Committee July 2024
For more information consult the original article
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38268732/