{"id":237373,"date":"2026-10-09T12:51:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T16:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fibrocanada.ca\/?p=237373"},"modified":"2026-10-09T12:51:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T16:51:12","slug":"effectiveness-of-complementary-and-alternative-medicine-in-fibromyalgia-syndrome-a-network-meta-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fibrocanada.ca\/en\/effectiveness-of-complementary-and-alternative-medicine-in-fibromyalgia-syndrome-a-network-meta-analysis","title":{"rendered":"Effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Network Meta-Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Lay Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Title of Article<\/strong>: Effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Network Meta-Analysis<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Date of Publication<\/strong>: January 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Journal Citation<\/strong>: Ye, G., Miao, R., Chen, J., Huang, J., &amp; Jiang, M. (2024). Effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Network Meta-Analysis. <em>Journal of Pain Research<\/em>, <em>17<\/em>, 305\u2013319. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2147\/JPR.S439906\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2147\/JPR.S439906<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Background<\/strong>: This study focuses on assessing the effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies in treating fibromyalgia syndrome. CAM therapies include treatments like acupuncture, massage, and electroacupuncture, which are not typically part of conventional medicine but are increasingly used to manage fibromyalgia symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Who was studied<\/strong>: The meta-analysis included data from 2877 patients with fibromyalgia across 41 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). These studies involved a variety of CAM treatments, but not all patients received the same interventions and not all were assessed for the same outcomes. The interventions included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Acupuncture<\/strong>: A traditional therapy where thin needles are inserted into specific points on the body to help relieve symptoms and improve health.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Electroacupuncture (EA)<\/strong>: A form of acupuncture where a small electrical current is passed between needles to increase stimulation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Abdominal acupuncture (AA)<\/strong>: Acupuncture focused on points in the abdomen to treat pain or other health conditions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Umbilical acupuncture<\/strong>: A style of acupuncture that uses points around or near the belly button.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Navel needling<\/strong>: Inserting needles into or around the belly button using thinner needles than traditional acupuncture<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Filiform needle<\/strong>: A very thin, solid acupuncture needle commonly used in traditional acupuncture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dry needle<\/strong>: A thin needle inserted into muscles or trigger points to reduce pain and muscle tightness, without injecting medication.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Acupoint application (AA)<\/strong>: Placing herbal medicine, patches, or other substances on specific acupuncture points.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Acupoint Injection<\/strong>: Injecting medication or herbal extracts into acupuncture points for added therapeutic effect.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Catgut Implantation at Acupoint (CIAA)<\/strong>: Placing absorbable surgical thread under the skin at acupuncture points for long-lasting stimulation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Massage therapy (MT)<\/strong>: Hands-on manipulation of muscles and soft tissues to reduce pain, tension, and stress.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Moxibustion<\/strong>: Burning dried herbal material (usually mugwort) near or on acupuncture points to provide heat stimulation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cupping<\/strong>: Using suction cups on the skin to improve circulation and relieve muscle tension.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Needle knife (NK)<\/strong>: A minimally invasive tool combining a needle and small blade to cut and release tight or scarred soft tissue.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gua sha<\/strong>: Lightly scraping the skin with a smooth tool to improve circulation and relieve muscle tension.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Plum Blossom Needle<\/strong>: A small hammer-like tool with multiple tiny needles used to tap the skin gently for blood flow stimulation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Combination of above therapies<\/strong>: Using two or more of these treatments together as part of one treatment approach.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How was the study conducted<\/strong>: Researchers performed a network meta-analysis, which allowed for the comparison of multiple treatments simultaneously. They searched multiple databases for RCTs that evaluated the effectiveness of CAM therapies in fibromyalgia patients. The primary outcomes measured were pain reduction, improvement in sleep quality, and enhancement of mood. CAM therapies were compared against a placebo or conventional therapies such as oral medication taken independently or combined with Chinese or Western medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Findings\/Results<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">41 articles were analyzed and included 2877 patients with fibromyalgia. Twenty different interventions were used. Findings showed when compared to conventional therapy or placebo:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pain Reduction<\/strong>: shown by an improvement in the Pain Scale (1 - 10) otherwise referred to as the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS): Significant pain reduction was seen with dry needling, acupuncture, EA therapy, MT, AA and CIAA therapy. Acupuncture with massage therapy had the highest likelihood of decreasing the VAS score.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Improved Depressive Symptoms<\/strong> shown by a reduction in the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) score: Abdominal acupuncture, moxibustion therapy, acupuncture and acupuncture with cupping therapy significantly improved mood. Abdominal acupuncture was the most effective in improving mood.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sleep Improvement<\/strong> shownby a decrease in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score: Massage therapy, acupuncture and EA therapy significantly improved sleep quality. EA had the highest likelihood of improving sleep.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Overall Impact<\/strong> shown by reducing the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) score indicating a significant improvement in overall quality of life: Acupuncture combined with massage therapy, AA therapy, CIAA therapy, dry needling and acupuncture significantly improved quality of life. Acupuncture with massage therapy had the highest likelihood of decreasing FIQ scores.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Tenderness Points<\/strong>: Umbilical acupuncture, EA therapy, massage therapy, Gua sha therapy, acupuncture, CIAA and NK therapy were significantly effective in reducing the number of tenderness points. Umbilical acupuncture had the highest likelihood of reducing the number of tenderness points.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Adverse Reactions<\/strong>: Six types of CAM treatments reported adverse reactions. All reported adverse reactions were mild (including skin bruising and faintness), and resolved without further treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Limitations of Study<\/strong>: The results varied widely between studies. Not all of the included studies assessed the same outcomes (i.e. not all of the treatments had results for mood and sleep improvement). This variability can affect the strength and reliability of the conclusions. The study also included only English and Chinese literature, potentially excluding relevant studies in other languages. Additionally, the subjective nature of the outcomes measured, such as pain and mood, may introduce bias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Discussion \/ Conclusion<\/strong>: CAM therapies, especially when combined, appear to be effective and safe for managing fibromyalgia symptoms. The study supports the use of treatments like acupuncture and massage as viable alternatives to conventional treatment for fibromyalgia. External CAM treatments generally do not cause severe adverse reactions and are considered safe and reliable, with good patient tolerance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>FAC Research Committee Comments<\/strong>: As this was a network meta-analysis it looked at studies focussed on one or a combined intervention compared to a standard treatment (such as oral medication). The various included studies within the network meta-analysis did not have the same comparator (i.e. conventional Chinese or Western therapy or placebo) used to compare with the interventions. Thus, we can\u2019t make any conclusions about how each intervention\u2019s effect compares to the use of another intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Due to widely varying results, large-scale trials are needed to strengthen the evidence. Despite these limitations, the study provides useful insights into the potential benefits of CAM therapies for fibromyalgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A lay summary of the 2024 meta-analysis study of Complementary and Alternative Medicine treatments for fibromyalgia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24407,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[285],"class_list":["post-237373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-highlights","tag-lay-summary","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fibrocanada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fibrocanada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fibrocanada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fibrocanada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fibrocanada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237373"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.fibrocanada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":237375,"href":"https:\/\/www.fibrocanada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237373\/revisions\/237375"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fibrocanada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fibrocanada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fibrocanada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fibrocanada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}