A pilot study published in the January Issue of 'The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine' described that Physical therapy (PT) modalities and acupuncture could be effectively used in the fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) treatment.

PT modalities are used in the FMS treatment and acupuncture is one of the most sought after treatment option by the FMS patients. Ozen S. Et al. aimed to differentiate between the effects of PT modalities and acupuncture on pain, daily function, and quality of life (QoL) in FMS patients.

This comparative study by Ozen S. Et al. comprised of 44 female patients between the aged 18-70 years presented to the Baskent University Faculty of Medicine Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. They had a new diagnosis of FMS as per the American College of Rheumatology, with manifestations of chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain symptoms, standard routine blood tests, and a desire to receive PT or acupuncture. The exclusion criteria comprised of occurrence of neurologic, inflammatory, endocrinologic, and other chronic diseases, psychiatric illness, the use of antidepressants or analgesics, and contraindication to treatment with PT modalities. 

In one group comprising 22 patients, 15 sessions of hot pack, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and ultrasound to the tender points of cervical and upper back regions were given. In other group comprising 22 patients, 10 sessions of formulated acupuncture focused on treating the pain of neck, upper, and lower back regions were given. The pain, functionality and quality of life (QoL) were determined by using the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) and Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) before and after the treatment.  In both the PT and acupuncture groups, a reduction in all SF-MPQ domains and FIQ scores after treatment was observed. No difference was perceived in pre- and post-treatment scores between the two groups.