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. 2010 Mar 23:5:11.
doi: 10.1186/1749-8546-5-11.

Effects of acupuncture to treat fibromyalgia: a preliminary randomised controlled trial

Kazunori Itoh  1 , Hiroshi Kitakoji
Affiliations

Effects of acupuncture to treat fibromyalgia: a preliminary randomised controlled trial

Kazunori Itoh et al. Chin Med. .

Abstract

Background: Acupuncture is often used to treat fibromyalgia (FM), but it remains unclear whether acupuncture is effective. This study aims to evaluate the effects of acupuncture on pain and quality of life (QoL) in FM patients.

Methods: Sixteen patients (13 women and 3 men aged 25-63 years) suffering from FM were randomised into two groups: group A (n = 8) received five acupuncture treatments after the fifth week and group B received ten acupuncture treatments. Outcome measures used in this study were pain intensity (visual analogue scale, VAS) and the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ).

Results: After the fifth week, pain intensity (U = 25.0; P = 0.022) in group B decreased and QoL (U = 24.5; P = 0.026) improved compared to group A.

Conclusion: The present study suggests that acupuncture treatment is effective to relieve pain for FM patients in terms of QoL and FIQ.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Treatments and measurements in this trial.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Participants flow in the study.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effects of acupuncture on VAS score. There was a significant difference between group A and B (U = 25.0, P = 0.022), while no significant difference between groups at baseline (U = 5.0, P = 0.566) and tenth week (U = 13.0, P = 0.252).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effects of acupuncture on FIQ score. There was a significant difference between group A and B at the fifth week (U = 24.5, P = 0.026), while no difference between at baseline (U = 5.5, P = 0.616) and tenth week (U = 9.0, P = 0.086).
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