Fibromyalgia: acupuncture relieves pain

These small needles are debated in the medical community. But acupuncture is increasingly proving its worth in a variety of applications. The latest study shows a significant effect in the treatment of fibromyalgia, a chronic diffuse pain syndrome. The results, published in the newspaper Acupuncture in Medicine, suggest that this is an interesting complementary approach.

The research focused on 153 diagnosed patients, still on pain medication or antidepressant, and divided into two groups. For nine weeks, they attended a weekly 20-minute acupuncture session. But half of them actually benefited from simulation, in order to assess a potential placebo effect.

Less pain

In order to compare the effectiveness of the method, the participants were questioned on several parameters of the syndrome: level of perceived pain, depression, quality of life. Questionnaires were submitted at the start of treatment, at ten weeks, then six months and one year later.

From the first step, acupuncture has shown a beneficial impact on pain. At 10 weeks, the pain is 41% less severe in the group treated with acupuncture against 27% in the placebo group.

More antidepressants at one year

Patients also felt improvements in stress points, fatigue, anxiety and depression. “This treatment produces an improvement in the participant’s syndrome, which is reflected in a reduction in the intensity of the pain and an improvement in functional capacity and quality of life after the intervention, and during the follow-up”, write the authors. They still point out that taking antidepressants increased at one year, which may affect the results.

The results are still beneficial, insofar as the side effects of acupuncture are rare and mild. This therapeutic option therefore represents a viable solution to the pain of fibromyalgia.