Thalassotherapy for fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial comparing aquatic exercises in sea water and water pool.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of aerobic exercise in water pool compared with aerobic exercise performed in sea by women with fibromyalgia (FM). A total of 46 patients were randomly allocated into two groups: pool group (23 patients) and sea group (23 patients) that performed the same aerobic exercise program. Patients were evaluated baseline and after 12 weeks using: VAS, number of tender points, FIQ, SF-36, PSQI, and BDI. Both groups improved significantly in post-treatment for all the evaluated variables. There were no significant differences between two groups, except for BDI (F=2.418, P<0.0001). Aerobic exercise program performed in water (pool or sea) was effective for patients with FM. However, sea water exercises have been shown to bring more advantages related to emotional aspects. Then, exercise performed sea water (thalassotherapy) is an option for effective treatment with low cost for patients with FM.

Benefícios da talassoterapia e balneoterapia na fibromialgia / Benefits of thalassotherapy and balneotherapy for fibromyalgia

Talassoterapia e balneoterapia são modalidades terapêuticas utilizadas há vários anos em outras regiões do mundo na prevenção e no tratamento de diversas enfermidades, incluindo doenças reumáticas. No entanto, só recentemente têm sido descritas na literatura em fibromialgia (FM), contribuindo para a redução da dor e de outros sintomas da doença e melhorando a qualidade de vida dos pacientes. Nesta revisão são relatados os principais estudos que avaliam a talassoterapia e/ou a balneoterapia como abordagem terapêutica na FM, abordando aspectos a serem investigados no intuito de estabelecer o valor dessa forma de tratamento. Os autores ainda destacam a necessidade da realização de estudos no Brasil, utilizando principalmente a talassoterapia, uma vez que o baixo custo, aliado ao fácil acesso de boa parte das pessoas ao litoral, podem beneficiar pacientes com FM.

Thalassotherapy and balneotherapy are therapeutic strategies commonly used in other countries for the prevention and treatment of several diseases, including rheumatic diseases. However, only in the recent years its use in the treatment of fibromyalgia (FM) has been reported. The potential beneficial effects include the reduction of pain and other related symptoms of FM, thus improving the quality of life. The authors revise studies focusing on thalassotherapy and/or balneotherapy in the treatment of FM, discussing their benefits and methodological biases that still preclude a more precise evaluation on the efficacy of these methods. Finally, the authors emphasize the need for such studies in Brazil, mainly thalassotherapy, since the low cost and good accessibility to sea, might well provide benefit to our patients.