ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: fibromyalgia is a chronic condition causing widespread pain, fatigue, limited physical function, and reduced quality of life. Aquatic training is recommended as a first-line non-pharmacological treatment. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of aquatic training based on aerobic and strengthening exercises in improving symptoms in women with fibromyalgia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: a systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted by searching the PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases. Randomized clinical trials that compared aquatic therapy with either a control group or a land-based exercise group were included. Study quality was assessed using the PEDro scale, the risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, and the certainty of the evidence was assessed the GRADE guidelines. RESULTS: six randomized clinical trials comprising 9 publications showed that aquatic therapy had statistically significant benefits compared to no intervention, including pain, fatigue, fibromyalgia impact, depression, physical function, and mental health in the short term. In the medium term, improvements were observed in fibromyalgia impact, physical function, and mental health. However, aquatic therapy was not found to be superior to land-based exercise. CONCLUSION: low to very low certainty of evidence suggested that aquatic training may reduce pain, fibromyalgia impact, fatigue and depression and improve physical function and mental health in patients with fibromyalgia. Further studies should investigate the medium and long-term effects of aquatic training using larger sample sizes.
Subject(s)
Fibromyalgia , Humans , Female , Fibromyalgia/therapy , Quality of Life , Exercise Therapy/adverse effects , Fatigue/therapy , Fatigue/etiology , PainABSTRACT
Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a painful menstruation that can persist for the duration of a woman's fertile life. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, hormonal therapy, physiotherapy techniques, etc., are the main treatments. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of transcutaneous posterior tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS) in PD patients. The study will consist of a single-blind randomized clinical trial, parallel-assigned with two arms. Women with PD (18-43 years) with regular menstrual cycles and at least 4 points in VAS will be randomly divided into experimental (TTNS) and placebo (simulated stimulation) groups during 12 treatment sessions (1 session/week) and several follow-ups: monthly during treatment and 1, 3 and 6 months after. Maximum and mean pain intensity, pain duration, pain severity, number of anti-inflammatory drugs, quality of life, sleep quality, overall improvement, treatment satisfaction and secondary effects will be measured once a month every 6 months and at 3 and 6 months. The Student's t-test for independent samples or the Mann-Whitney U test will be used. The literature shows effective physiotherapeutic techniques for PD in the short term, which do not act on causes and have limitations. The TTNS technique can be used in transcutaneous and percutaneous modalities, with similar effectiveness, but the transcutaneous causes less discomfort. TTNS modulates pain, and long-term benefits could be achieved at low cost and without patient discomfort.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess whether non-pharmacologic conservative therapeutic interventions are beneficial in improving pain intensity and quality of life in women with endometriosis compared with placebo. METHODS: A systematic review with meta-analysis was designed. A literature search was performed in the following databases: PubMed, PEDro, Embase, CINAHL, Isi Web of Science, Enfispo, and Cochrane. Randomized controlled trials included women with endometriosis treated with conservative treatment versus placebo. The quality of the studies was assessed using the PEDro scale, and the risk of bias of the individual studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. For the overall quality of the studies, the GRADE guidelines were used. RESULTS: Meta-analysis included six studies. Significant results were obtained for pain intensity (standardized mean difference [SMD] -0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI] -1.21 to -0.57; I2 69%) and concerning quality of life, significant results were only obtained for the sub-variable physical function (SMD -1.49; 95% CI -2.88 to -0.10; I2 95%). No statistically significant differences were found for the rest of the variables analyzed. CONCLUSION: Non-pharmacologic conservative therapies are a therapeutic option for women with endometriosis for improving pain intensity and physical function.
