title: Efficacy of a multidisciplinary treatment program in patients with severe fibromyalgia.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a multidisciplinary treatment program in patients severely affected by fibromyalgia. Thirty-four fibromyalgia patients were randomly divided into two groups. The control group: 17 women who continued their medical treatment and participated in four educational sessions and the experimental group that included 17 patients who besides the former medical treatment also underwent a weekly 1-h session program for 8 weeks including massage therapy, ischemic pressure on the 18 tender points, aerobic exercise and thermal therapy. At the beginning of the program, there were no significant differences between the two groups in any of the parameters. At the end of treatment, there was a significant improvement in the experimental group in the following items: vitality, social functioning, grip strength and the 6-min walk test. At 1 month after the end of treatment, the experimental group showed significant differences in overall health perception, social functioning, grip strength and the 6-min walk test. At that time, considering the threshold for clinical efficacy set at an improvement of 30% or above for the analyzed variables, 25% of the patients met the requirement for improvement of the following: number of symptoms: Visual Analogic Scale for fatigue, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire and Beck Anxiety Inventory. In conclusion, patients with severe manifestations of fibromyalgia can obtain improvement with a short-term, low-cost and simple-delivery multidisciplinary program. However, additional studies including higher numbers of patients are needed to confirm the beneficial effect of this treatment program.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Service at the Specialist Clinic of Cantabria, Santander, Cantabria, Spain. bcasanuevaf@medynet.com
authors.forename: Benigno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Casanueva-Fernández
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Llorca
authors.forename: Josep Blanch I
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Rubió
authors.forename: Baltasar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rodero-Fernández
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: González-Gay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005080:Exercise Test; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011312:Pressure; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012919:Social Behavior; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016138:Walking