Manual acupuncture in fibromyalgia: A long-term pilot study

Objectives: The aim of this cross-over designed pilot study was to investig ate the short-term and long-term effects on pain and other common symptoms present in fibromyalgia [FMS] of manual acupuncture with needles inserted i nto traditional Chinese acupuncture points. Methods: Nine out of 10 consecutive FMS patients completed the study. Acupu ncture was given in 10-14 sessions over two to three months, followed by an observation period of six months. The control regime consisted of continuo us medical management. The patients were evaluated immediately after the co mpletion of the treatment and at 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks. Pain, sleep, medic ation, muscle tension, psychological tension, general well-being, the numbe r of tender points, and range of movement in shoulders and neck were assess ed. Results: In general, significantly greater changes occurred for the variabl es under investigation during the acupuncture period than during the contro l period. Nine of the 11 outcome variables showed a significant improvement after acupuncture period. The number of tender points was significantly de creased and the sense of well-being significantly improved up to 12 week fo llow-up. A significant decrease in general pain persisted for eight weeks. Muscle tension and local pain in head, neck, and shoulder regions were sign ificantly reduced throughout the whole 24 week follow-up period. According to the patients' evaluation of global treatment outcome, improvements remai ned significant until the four week follow-up. Base-line values of well-bei ng and sleep patterns were the most important predictors of treatment outco me. Conclusion: We conclude that for some FMS patients 10-14 acupuncture sessio ns seem to give additional benefits over a limited period.