Photobiomodulation therapy combined with static magnetic field is better than placebo in patients with fibromyalgia: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.
Neide F Ribeiro, Ernesto C P Leal-Junior, Douglas S Johnson and 10 others
PMID 37847246WHAT IT FOUND
In women with fibromyalgia, adding photobiomodulation plus static magnetic field to usual pain management for 3 weeks reduced tender points and pain more than placebo, with some benefit 4 weeks later.
Key findings
01The primary degree-of-pain rating, assessed by tender point count, improved more with PBMT-sMF than placebo at the end of treatment and at follow-up.
02Pain intensity on the 0 to 100 VAS was 37.80 in the PBMT-sMF group and 56.91 in the placebo group at the end of treatment, and 34.47 and 49.58 at follow-up.
03No major adverse effects were reported, but seven patients reported increased pain or tension.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The trial followed patients only for 4 weeks after a 3-week treatment course, so it does not show whether benefit persists longer. Only women aged 30 to 55 years with fibromyalgia were included, so the results do not cover men or other age groups. The study was done at one laboratory in São Paulo, Brazil. Patients kept their usual pain management regimen, and many used medication or massage during the study, so PBMT-sMF was tested as an add-on rather than a stand-alone treatment. The active group reported fewer other cointerventions than the placebo group during treatment and follow-up (26.67% vs 60.00%, and 11.11% vs 40.00%), which could have affected outcomes. At follow-up, 38 patients in the PBMT-sMF group and 31 patients in the placebo group guessed their allocation, although the authors report no significant difference in correct guesses.
Declared interests
One author received research support from Multi-Radiance Medical, the maker of the device. Another author is an employee and shareholder of Multi-Radiance Medical. A grant from the Brazilian Council of Science and Technology Development supported one author, and that council had no role in planning, conducting, or analyzing the trial. One author has a personal relationship with another author.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that photobiomodulation plus static magnetic field alone treats fibromyalgia. The treatment was added to usual pain management, the trial did not test photobiomodulation or static magnetic field separately, and the study included only women aged 30 to 55 years with 4 weeks of follow-up.