Acupuncture significantly improves pain and stiffness in fibromyalgia syndrome patients, and the effect levels are influenced by treatment frequency and type of acupuncture.
During the methodology, PRISMA guidelines were followed to systematically search a range of databases for any randomized controlled trials that compared acupuncture to conventional treatments in adults with fibromyalgia. Factors such as gender, frequency of treatment, and type of acupuncture were taken into account during the meta-analysis which was done using random-effects models.
In the results, data from seventeen trials with 773 participants revealed that acupuncture contributes to significant short-term improvements in pain and stiffness. Persistent benefits were observed in long-term follow-up, although improvements in aspects like quality of life, mental health, and energy were only seen in the short term. Further, high-frequency acupuncture sessions resulted in better physical function, and acupuncture with electrical stimulation provided additional benefits.
