A study recently published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that myofascial release therapy significantly improved many of the symptoms of fibromyalgia including pain, sleep quality, anxiety and quality of life.
Myofascial release therapy (MRT) is a type of massage that applies very gentle sustained pressure to various parts of the body in order to release fascial restrictions.
Study Design
Fibromyalgia patients were divided into two groups. The experimental group, consisting of 30 individuals, received 90-minute MRT sessions once a week for 20 weeks. The control group of 29 individuals received a weekly 30-minute session of disconnected magnetotherapy for 20 weeks. (Patients in the control group did not know they were receiving a sham therapy.)
The following instruments were used to measure symptom severity:
- Pain – Visual Analog Scale
- Anxiety – State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
- Depression – Beck Depression Inventory
- Sleep Quality – Pittsburgh Quality of Sleep Index Questionnaire
- Quality of Life – SF-36 Quality of Life Questionnaire
Each subject was scored in all five areas before beginning treatment (baseline), immediately after the 20-week intervention, and again at one month and six months post-treatment.
Study Results and Conclusion
Immediately following the treatment period, the MRT group showed significant improvements in pain (which included significant reductions in tender point sensitivity), trait anxiety, physical function, social function, sleep latency and sleep duration. No changes in any of these areas were observed in the control group. There were no changes in depression scores for either group.
One month later, the significant improvements noted were still seen in the MRT group and no changes were noted in the control group. At the six-month follow up, significant improvement was still seen in sleep duration and in reduced pain at one of the tender points, but the other areas were returning to baseline levels. Again, there were no changes in the control group.
The researchers concluded, “This study demonstrated that massage-myofascial release therapy reduces the sensitivity to pain at tender points in patients with fibromyalgia, improving their pain perception. Release of fascial restrictions in these patients also reduces anxiety levels and improves sleep quality, physical function, and physical role. Massage-myofascial program can be considered as an alternative and complementary therapy that can achieve transient improvements in the symptoms of these patients.”
My Thoughts...
This study confirms my own personal experience and that of most of the people I've known who have received MRT on a regular basis. It is because of MRT that I no longer need a cane to walk and have been able to continue working. Needless to say, I have long been a proponent of MRT.
