Is connective tissue massage effective in individuals with fibromyalgia?
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to examine the effectiveness of connective tissue massage (CTM) combined with Clinical Pilates exercises on pain, disease impact, functional status, anxiety, quality of life, and biopsychosocial status in women with Fibromyalgia.
Results Summary
The study found that CTM combined with Clinical Pilates significantly reduced the number of painful areas (PLI) compared to Clinical Pilates alone. Both groups showed improvements in disease impact (FIQ) and quality of life (SF-36), but the intervention group had a more pronounced effect on pain location.
Population
32 women with Fibromyalgia (mean age 48.80 ± 7.48 in the intervention group, 55.64 ± 7.87 in the control group).
Effective Dosage
CTM + Clinical Pilates exercises 3 times a week.
Duration
6 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Clinical Pilates exercises and connective tissue massage (CTM) | decrease | Pain Location Inventory (PLI) | women with Fibromyalgia (FM) | p = 0.007; effect size 1.273 | significant difference was observed | #1 |
Clinical Pilates exercises and connective tissue massage (CTM) | decrease | Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) | women with Fibromyalgia (FM) | p = 0.004; effect size 0.987 | significant difference was observed | #2 |
Clinical Pilates exercises and connective tissue massage (CTM) | increase | SF-36 physical component | women with Fibromyalgia (FM) | p = 0.025; effect size -0.496 | significant difference was observed | #3 |
Clinical Pilates exercises and connective tissue massage (CTM) | increase | SF-36 mental component | women with Fibromyalgia (FM) | p = 0.017; effect size -0.761 | significant difference was observed | #4 |
Clinical Pilates exercises | decrease | Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) | women with Fibromyalgia (FM) | p = 0.001; effect size 1.096 | significant difference was observed | #5 |
Clinical Pilates exercises | decrease | Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) | women with Fibromyalgia (FM) | p = 0.043; effect size 0.392 | significant difference was observed | #6 |
Clinical Pilates exercises | increase | SF-36 physical component | women with Fibromyalgia (FM) | p = 0.008; effect size -0.507 | significant difference was observed | #7 |
Clinical Pilates exercises | increase | SF-36 mental component | women with Fibromyalgia (FM) | p = 0.024; effect size -0.507 | significant difference was observed | #8 |
Clinical Pilates exercises and connective tissue massage (CTM) | decrease | Pain Location Inventory (PLI) | women with Fibromyalgia (FM) | p = 0.023 | the difference was determined only in the PLI in favor of the intervention group | #9 |
connective tissue massage (CTM) | decrease | number of painful areas | women with FM | - | can be effective in reducing | #10 |
OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness of Clinical Pilates exercises and connective tissue massage (CTM) in individuals with Fibromyalgia (FM) on pain, disease impact, functional status, anxiety, quality of life and biopsychosocial status. METHODS: 32 women were randomly divided into two groups as intervention gorup (CTM + Clinical Pilates exercises, n = 15, mean age = 48.80 ± 7.48) and control gorup (Clinical Pilates exercises, n = 17, mean age = 55.64 ± 7.87). The number of painful regions were assessed with Pain Location Inventory (PLI), disease impact with Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnare (FIQ), functional status with Health Assessment Questionnare (HAQ), anxiety with Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), quality of life with Short Form-36 (SF-36) and biopsychosocial status with Biopsychosocial Questionnaire (BETY-BQ) were evaluated. All evaluations were made before and after treatment. Both treatments were applied 3 times a week for 6 weeks. RESULTS: When the pre-treatment and post-treatment results are analyzed; significant difference was observed in PLI (p = 0.007; effect size 1.273), FIQ (p = 0.004; effect size 0.987), SF-36 physical component (p = 0.025; effect size -0.496) and mental component (p = 0.017; effect size -0.761) in the intervention group while the significant difference was observed in FIQ (p = 0.001; effect size 1.096) and BAI (p = 0.043; effect size 0.392), SF-36 physical component (p = 0.008; effect size -0.507) and mental component (p = 0.024; effect size -0.507) in the control group. When the delta values of the groups are compared, the difference was determined only in the PLI (p = 0.023) in favor of the intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: CTM can be effective in reducing the number of painful areas in addition to the positive effects of clinical Pilates exercises in women with FM.