Pain Research and Management

Review Article

Effects of Physical-Agent Pain Relief Modalities for Fibromyalgia Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Table 2

Characteristics of the studies’ participants and interventions.


Study (year published) [ref.]	Participants	Age (intervention, control, or placebo group)	Modality	Treatments	Evaluation

Ardic et al. (2007) [16]	24 women with FM	43.5 ± 10.2, 48.8 ± 8.9	Balneotherapy 30°C, 20 min	Once daily, 5 days/wk for 3 wks, whole body; control	Pain (VAS), NTP, algometric score, FIQ, BDI, serum PGE2, LTB4, and IL-1 levels

Armagan et al. (2006) [17]	32 women with FM	38.9 ± 4.9, 37.6 ± 5.9	Low-level laser therapy 50 mW, 830 nm, 1 min each tender point	Once daily, 5 days/wk for 10 days; control	NTP, morning stiffness, VSGI, FIQ, and total myalgia score

Bagdatli et al. (2015) [18]	70 women with FM	45.2 ± 9.1, 42.8 ± 9.6	Balneotherapy and mudpack 38°C, 20 min and 45°C, 20 min	10 times within 2 wks, whole body; control	PGASc, IGASc, FIQ, pain, fatigue, sleep, stiffness, anxiety, depression, and BDI

Evcik et al. (2002) [19]	42 patients with FM	42.0 ± 6.8, 41.5 ± 7.1	Balneotherapy 36°C, 20 min	Once daily, 5 days/wk for 3 wks, whole body; control	Pain (VAS), FIQ, NTP, and BDI

Fioravanti et al. (2007) [20]	80 patients with FM	46.2 ± 10.5, 48.6 ± 9.4	Mudpack and thermal bath 40°C–45°C, 10 min and 37°C–38°C, 15 min	Once daily, for 2 wks, whole body; control	FIQ, VAS (headache, fatigue, sleep disturbances), NTP, HAQ, and AIMS

Gür et al. (2002) [21]	50 patients with FM	30.4 ± 6.9, 28.5 ± 6.3	Low-level laser therapy 2 J/cm², 3 min each tender point	Once daily, 5 days/wk for 2 wks; placebo	Pain, NTP, skinfold tenderness, stiffness, sleep disturbance, muscle spasm, fatigue, and FIQ

Gür et al. (2002) [22]	40 patients with FM	—	Low-level laser therapy 11.2 mW, 3 min each tender point	Once daily, 5 days/wk for 2 wks; placebo	Pain, NTP, skinfold tenderness, stiffness, sleep disturbance, muscular spasm, and fatigue

Lauretti et al. (2013) [23]	39 patients with FM	32 ± 8, 35 ± 8	TENS 200 μsec, 2 and 100 Hz, 60 mA, 20 min	Twice a day, for 7 days; placebo	Pain (VAS), daily analgesic consumption, quality of sleep, and fatigue

Ruaro et al. (2014) [24]	20 women with FM	43.4, 39.4	Low-level laser therapy 20 mW, 670 nm,7 s ×4 for 18 trigger points	3 times/wk for 4 wks; placebo	NTP, FIQ, McGill pain questionnaire, and VAS

Sutbeyaz et al. (2009) [25]	56 women with FM	43.0 ± 9.6, 40.9 ± 6.9	Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy 40 µT, 0.1–64 Hz, 30 min	Twice a day, for 3 wks, whole body; control	FIQ, pain (VAS), BDI, SF-36, and PGART

Vayvay et al. (2016) [26]	45 women with FM	36.4 ± 8.3, 38.0 ± 8.4	Laser therapy 2 J/cm², 3 min each trigger points	Once daily, 5 days/wk for 3 wks; placebo	Pain (VAS), body flexibility, FIQ, SF-36, and BDI

VAS: visual analogue scale; NTP: no. of tender points; BDI: Beck’s depression index; FIQ: Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire; PGE2: prostaglandin E2; LTB4: leukotriene B4; IL: interleukin; VSGI: global improvement as reported on a verbal scale; PGASc: patient’s global assessment score; IGASc: investigator’s global assessment score; HAQ: health assessment questionnaire; AIMS: arthritis impact measurement scale; HDRS: Hamilton depression rate scale; DSM: diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders; SF-36: 36-item short form health survey; PGART: patient’s global assessment of response to therapy.