Fibromyalgia and Acupuncture: Relief for FM Symptoms

Fibromyalgia is a rheumatic condition that affects the soft tissues of the body, not the joints. In the United States, fibromyalgia affects an estimated 5 million people over age18, of whom about 90 percent are women. Symptoms include pain and stiffness in muscles and joints throughout the body, fatigue, irregular sleep, brain fog, restless legs, and depression.

Diagnosis of fibromyalgia is dependent on patient-reported symptoms, and is made when widespread pain persists for longer than three months, with no evidence of other underlying conditions.

The exact cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, although it is thought to stem from misinterpretations from the central nervous system (the nerves and brain), causing them to become over-sensitized to normal pain signals. People with a history of physical or emotional trauma or infections are more likely to exhibit signs of fibromyalgia.

Traditional treatment for fibromyalgia often includes:

• pain medications
• antidepressants
• physical therapy
• occupational therapy
• patient education to help cope with symptoms

While those treatment methods may offer some relief, they fall short of eliminating ongoing symptoms.

Recent research on the effects of acupuncture in treating fibromyalgia offers new hope to millions of sufferers. In a study by Mist and Jones (2018), 30 women diagnosed with fibromyalgia were randomly divided into two groups. Most of the women (78%) had been suffering fibromyalgia symptoms for more than 10 years. The control group participated in weekly group education sessions, while the experimental group received twenty 40-minute acupuncture treatments (two per week), over a 10-week period.

At the end of the study and in a follow-up four weeks later, the education group reported no improvement in symptoms, and some of them reported increased fatigue. The acupuncture group, on the other hand, reported reduced symptoms and less fatigue.