Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, 28670, Madrid, Spain; Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, CEU-San Pablo University, 28003, Madrid, Spain.
Interdisciplinary Research Group on Musculoskeletal Disorders, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670, Villaviciosa de Odón, Spain; Escuela Internacional de Doctorado, Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933, Alcorcón, Spain; Physiotherapy and Orofacial Pain Working Group, Sociedad Española de Disfunción Craneomandibular y Dolor Orofacial (SEDCYDO), 28009, Madrid, Spain.
Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2024 Oct;73:103160. doi: 10.1016/j.msksp.2024.103160. Epub 2024 Aug 8.
The aim of this experimental study was to determine which manual therapy approach is more effective in addressing health status by improving symptoms (sensory, cognitive, emotional, and social) in patients with fibromyalgia.
A quasi-randomized clinical trial with 3-month follow-up was conducted in 52 female patients (age 52.5 ± 8.1 years) affected by rheumatologist-diagnosed Fibromyalgia and evaluated at the Asociación de Fibromialgia y Síndrome de Fatiga Crónica (AFINSYFACRO) in Móstoles and AFIBROM, Madrid, Spain. Two manual therapy approaches were applied: the myofascial technique approach (MTA) and Maitland Mobilization Approach (MMA). The study examined the following outcomes: Widespread Pain, Symptom Severity, Impact on Quality of Life, Perceived Pain, Sensitization-Associated Pain, Sleep Quality, Physical Activity, and Psychological, Cognitive, and Emotional Factors. Patient Satisfaction was also assessed.
No significant differences were found between groups over time for most variables. However, the MTA group showed significant improvements in pain intensity, central sensitization, general health, sleep quality, and anxiety compared with the MMA group.
Despite the lack of between-group differences in all variables over time, MTA may be useful in the treatment of fibromyalgia, reducing pain, central sensitization, and negative emotional symptoms, as well as improving general health and sleep quality. Due to problems during the study, randomization was abandoned. This problem becomes a virtue by taking advantage of the situation to apply statistical compensation methods, which will serve as a guide for future research that suffers from this problem. We suggest the inclusion of longer follow-up periods in future studies.
本实验研究旨在确定哪种手动疗法在改善纤维肌痛症患者的症状（感觉、认知、情感和社会）方面更能有效改善健康状况。
在西班牙莫斯托莱斯的 Asociación de Fibromialgia y Síndrome de Fatiga Crónica（AFINSYFACRO）和马德里的 AFIBROM，对 52 名女性纤维肌痛症患者（年龄 52.5±8.1 岁）进行了为期 3 个月随访的半随机临床试验。应用了两种手动疗法：肌筋膜技术方法（MTA）和 Maitland 松动方法（MMA）。研究考察了以下结果：广泛疼痛、症状严重程度、对生活质量的影响、感知疼痛、与敏感相关的疼痛、睡眠质量、身体活动以及心理、认知和情感因素。还评估了患者满意度。
大多数变量在组间随时间均无显著差异。然而，与 MMA 组相比，MTA 组在疼痛强度、中枢敏化、一般健康、睡眠质量和焦虑方面的改善更为显著。
尽管在所有变量方面，组间随时间均无差异，但 MTA 可能对纤维肌痛症的治疗有用，可减轻疼痛、中枢敏化和负性情绪症状，改善一般健康和睡眠质量。由于研究过程中存在问题，放弃了随机分组。通过利用这种情况应用统计补偿方法，这一问题反而变成了一个优势，为今后遭受此类问题的研究提供了指导。我们建议在未来的研究中增加更长的随访期。
