Fibromyalgia/Chronic Pain Syndrome: An Alternative Medicine Perspective

Purposes: To review the current literature on pain management in fibromyalgia (FMS) including complementary alternative medicine (CAM) use and to report on treatment and rehabilitation strategies. Methods: A literature review of MEDLINE and EMBASE for published randomized controlled trials for FMS pain treatment was carried out. This was critiqued with the Jadad criteria for quality trials in the chronic pain population. Clinical experience in treating and following such patients over the last 20 years is discussed. Results: Most published studies are of low quality. We report case studies of patients who significantly improved with specific CAM therapies, indicating the need for future research in these areas. Conclusion: Studies suggest that FMS patients may be effectively managed for pain with Botulinum toxin A injections with an integrative rehabilitation approach. This needs to be confirmed with large randomized controlled trials.