Hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduces pain and inflammation in patients with fibromyalgia: BMJ

The findings of a systematic review published in the BMJ Rheumatology suggest hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) as an effective and safe alternative for fibromyalgia patients. The results support that HBOT can relieve pain and improve multiple symptoms of fibromyalgia, with only reversible side effects.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain and tenderness in the muscles and joints, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. There are no established cure for fibromyalgia, and the current treatments only provide relief to a limited extent. And so, many patients with fibromyalgia seek alternative treatments, including HBOT.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a medical treatment that involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. The increased pressure and oxygen concentration help to improve the delivery of oxygen to the body's tissues, which can promote healing and reduce inflammation. This therapy has been used to treat a range of conditions, including wounds, infections, and radiation injury. 

A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials was conducted by Xinxin Chen and team to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HBOT in the treatment of fibromyalgia. The data sources used for the review included PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, VIP (China Science and Technology Journal Database), CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), and WanFang database. The inclusion criteria were clinical trials of HBOT for fibromyalgia, either randomized controlled trials or non-randomized controlled trials.

The highlights of the review were:

The meta-analysis included nine studies with a total of 288 patients.

The results showed that HBOT can relieve the pain of fibromyalgia patients compared to the control intervention, as evidenced by a significant reduction in the visual analogue scale and widespread pain index.

It also indicated that HBOT can improve tender points, fatigue, multidimensional function, patient global status, and sleep disturbance in fibromyalgia patients. Adverse events occurred in 23.8% of patients, and 6.5% of patients withdrew from the study due to adverse reactions. However, no serious adverse events or complications were observed.

Further studies are needed to determine the optimal protocol for HBOT in fibromyalgia, including the pressure and duration of therapy, as well as the frequency and number of treatments.

Source:

Chen, X., You, J., Ma, H., Zhou, M., & Huang, C. (2023). Efficacy and safety of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. In BMJ Open. BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-062322