Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Nov 22;9(11):3771.
doi: 10.3390/jcm9113771.

Effectiveness of Active Therapy-Based Training to Improve the Balance in Patients with Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

María Del-Moral-García  1 , Esteban Obrero-Gaitán  1 , Daniel Rodríguez-Almagro  1 , Manuel Rodríguez-Huguet  2   3 , María Catalina Osuna-Pérez  1 , Rafael Lomas-Vega  1
Affiliations
Review

Effectiveness of Active Therapy-Based Training to Improve the Balance in Patients with Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

María Del-Moral-García et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Balance impairment is a frequent disorder in patients with fibromyalgia (FMS), increasing the risk of falls and decreasing physical function and quality of life. In recent years, the use of active therapy-based training (ATBT) has increased, with the aim of improving balance in women with FMS. Our study aimed to assess the effect of ATBT to improve different balance outcomes in subjects with FMS. A systematic review with meta-analysis was carried out. We searched PubMed Medline, SCOPUS, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database) databases up to September 2020. We included randomized controlled trials (RCT) that assessed the balance in patients with FMS after ATBT and compared to other treatments or no intervention. In a random-effects model, the standardized mean difference (SMD) was used to calculate the effect size. Ten studies were included in the review providing data from 546 FMS patients with a mean age of 52.41 ± 2.90 years old (98% females). Our results showed a medium effect favors ATBT with respect to other therapies for monopedal static balance (SMD = 0.571; 95% CI = 0.305, 0.836; p < 0.001), dynamic balance (SMD = 0.618; 95% CI = 0.348, 0.888; p < 0.001), and functional balance (SMD = 0.409; 95% CI = 0.044, 0.774; p = 0.028). No statistically significant differences were found for balance on unstable support. The present meta-analysis showed moderate-quality evidence of a medium effect of ATBT to improve dynamic and functional balance and low-quality evidence of a medium effect to improve monopedal static balance with respect to other therapies or no intervention.

Keywords: active therapy; chronic fatigue syndrome; fibromyalgia; meta-analysis; postural balance; postural sensory organization.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) flow chart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of the meta-analysis of the immediate effect of the ATBT in monopedal static balance.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of the meta-analysis of the immediate effect of the ATBT in dynamic balance.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot of the meta-analysis of the immediate effect of the ATBT in functional balance.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot of the meta-analysis of the immediate effect of the ATBT in the balance assessment on unstable support with eyes open and closed.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Galvez-Sánchez C.M., Reyes del Paso G.A. Diagnostic Criteria for Fibromyalgia: Critical Review and Future Perspectives. J. Clin. Med. 2020;9:1219. doi: 10.3390/jcm9041219. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Marques A.P., Santo A.d.S.d.E., Berssaneti A.A., Matsutani L.A., Yuan S.L.K. Prevalence of fibromyalgia: Literature review update. Rev. Bras. Reum. Engl. Ed. 2017;57:356–363. doi: 10.1016/j.rbre.2017.01.005. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Marcus D.A., Richards K.L., Chambers J.F., Bhowmick A. Fibromyalgia Family and Relationship Impact Exploratory Survey. Musculoskelet. Care. 2013;11:125–134. doi: 10.1002/msc.1039. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Steiner J.L., Bigatti S.M., Hernandez A.M., Lydon-Lam J.R., Johnston E.L. Social support mediates the relations between role strains and marital satisfaction in husbands of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome. Fam. Syst. Health. 2010;28:209–223. doi: 10.1037/a0020340. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mas A., Carmona L., Valverde M., Ribas B., EPISER Study Group Prevalence and impact of fibromyalgia on function and quality of life in individuals from the general population: Results from a nationwide study in Spain. Clin. Exp. Rheumatol. 2008;26:519–526. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources