Acupuncture in the Treatment of Fibromyalgia in Tertiary Care – a Case Series

Abstract

Aims Fibromyalgia is a common cause of chronic widespread pain. The benefit of medication is often limited by its side effects, and the improvements obtained with exercise and education are inconsistent. Many patients seek acupuncture treatment, which is reported to be helpful in some cases. This study aimed to explore the acceptability and benefits of acupuncture offered in the setting of a tertiary referral clinic. Methods An open, uncontrolled observational study was conducted among patients who met the usual fibromyalgia criteria and who had a pain score of at least 30 on a 100mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Patients were allowed to continue other treatments but not to introduce new ones. Acupuncture was given using a Western approach according to a protocol developed by consensus. Patients were offered eight treatments in eight weeks. Outcome measures included VA S of pain intensity and Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (range 0 -100), and were taken before and after treatment, and at 14, 20 and 34 weeks from enrolment. Results Twenty four eligible patients were enrolled in a 12 month period. Baseline mean pain VA S score for these 24 patients was 74 (SD 18) and mean Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire score 78 (SD 12.4). Only 14 patients completed the course of treatment within about 10 weeks. Compliance was poor in the remaining patients because of difficulty attending clinic, and in two cases because of exacerbation of pain. Completion of outcome measures was variable and therefore the analysis of data is limited. Five patients scored at least 20% reduction in Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire score which is a clinically relevant improvement. Two of these scored at least 50% reduction. Conclusion Acupuncture appears to offer symptomatic improvement to some patients with fibromyalgia in a tertiary clinic who have failed to respond to other treatments. In view of its safety, further acupuncture research is justified in this population.

Understanding Fibromyalgia and Its Related Disorders

“…Some complementary and alternative therapies, including acupuncture, 97 trigger point injections, 98 manual treatment including chiropractic 99 and massage 100 therapies, hypnotherapy, 90 biofeedback, 101 tai-chi, 102 and yoga, 103 may be effective treatments for some patients with fibromyalgia. Dr. Goldenberg stressed that the evidence is tentative and more research is needed.…”

The Effectiveness of Individualized Acupuncture Protocols in the Treatment of Gulf War Illness: A Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial

“…Although there are no published studies evaluating acupuncture’s effectiveness in the treatment of GWI, acupuncture has been shown to successfully reduce many key symptoms of GWI including pain [ 5 , 6 ], musculoskeletal disorders [ 7 , 8 , 9 ], both acute and chronic pain after amputation in military contexts [ 10 , 11 ], fatigue [ 12 ], state, trait and situational anxiety [ 13 ], and depression [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Further, there is evidence that acupuncture may be effective in the treatment of other complex diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome [ 17 ], fibromyalgia [ 18 ], and post-traumatic stress disorder [ 19 ] and that acupuncture is well tolerated by patients, safe, and may be cost-effective compared to routine care [ 20 ].…”

Elderly quality of life impacted by traditional chinese medicine techniques

“…Increased side-effects of conventional medicine, the lack of curative treatment for several chronic diseases, the high cost of new drugs, microbial resistance, and emerging diseases are among the reasons for the renewed public interest in TCM 2. Many patients seek TCM techniques specifically for acupuncture treatment, which is reported to be helpful in some cases 18. Studies are expanding to assess the effectiveness of TCM as a treatment option 19,20.…”