Abstract
Objectives: To provide preliminary information on whether a regimen of 30 chiropractic treatments
that combines ischemic compression and spinal manipulation effectively reduces the
intensity of pain, sleep disturbance, and fatigue associated with fibromyalgia. In
addition, to study the dose-response relation and identify the baseline characteristics
that may serve as predictors of outcome. Design: Subjects were assessed with self-administered questionnaires taken at baseline, after
15 and 30 treatments, and 1 month after the end of the treatment trial. Setting: Private practice. Methods: Participating subjects were adult members of a regional Fibromyalgia Association.
Participating subjects had fibromyalgia for more than 3 months. They received 30 treatments
including ischemic compression and spinal manipulation. The 3 outcomes being evaluated
were pain intensity, fatigue level, and sleep quality. A minimum 50 improvement in
pain intensity from baseline to the end of the treatment trial was needed to include
the patient in the respondent category. Results: Fifteen women (mean age 51.1 years) completed the trial. A total of 9 (60) patients
were classified as respondents. A statistically significant lessening of pain intensity
and corresponding improvement in quality of sleep and fatigue level were observed
after 15 and 30 treatments. After 30 treatments, the respondents showed an average
lessening of 77.2 (standard deviation = 12.3) in pain intensity and an improvement
of 63.5 (standard deviation = 31.6) in sleep quality and 74.8 (standard deviation
= 23.1) in fatigue level. The improvement in the 3 outcome measures was maintained
after 1 month without treatment. Subjects with less than 35 improvement after 15 treatments
did not show a satisfactory response after 30 treatments. A trend, determined as not
statistically significant, suggests that older subjects with severe and more chronic
pain and a greater number of tender points respond more poorly to treatment. Conclusion: This study suggests a potential role for chiropractic care in the management of fibromyalgia.
A randomized clinical trial should be conducted to test this hypothesis. (J Manipulative
Physiol Ther 2000;23:225–30)
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Received in revised form:
February 2,
1999
Received:
January 12,
1999
Footnotes
*bResearch associate, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto, Ontario, and graduate student, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Montreal, Canada.
**Submit reprint requests to: Guy Hains, DC, 2930 Côte Richelieu, Trois-Rivières, Quebec G8Z 3Y8, Canada.
*J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2000;23:225–30
Identification
Copyright
© 2000 JMPT. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
