Back to Journals » Journal of Pain Research » Volume 6

Complementary and alternative exercise for fibromyalgia: a meta-analysis

Authors Mist SD, Firestone KA, Jones KD

Received 27 November 2012

Accepted for publication 17 January 2013

Published 27 March 2013 Volume 2013:6 Pages 247—260

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S32297

Checked for plagiarism Yes

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 3



Scott David Mist, Kari Firestone, Kim Dupree Jones

Fibromyalgia Research and Treatment Group, School of Nursing, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA

Abstract: Complementary and alternative medicine includes a number of exercise modalities, such as tai chi, qigong, yoga, and a variety of lesser-known movement therapies. A meta-analysis of the current literature was conducted estimating the effect size of the different modalities, study quality and bias, and adverse events. The level of research has been moderately weak to date, but most studies report a medium-to-high effect size in pain reduction. Given the lack of adverse events, there is little risk in recommending these modalities as a critical component in a multimodal treatment plan, which is often required for fibromyalgia management.

Keywords: fibromyalgia, exercise, complementary and alternative, efficacy, safety

Creative Commons License © 2013 The Author(s). This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.