What Researchers Did
Researchers in Brazil tested whether adding hyperbaric oxygen therapy to standard fibromyalgia care worked better than standard care alone for women with fibromyalgia.
What They Found
This randomized, cross-over trial of 56 women with fibromyalgia found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy added to standard care produced larger improvements than standard care alone. The group given early hyperbaric oxygen therapy had a 31.1% improvement in Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR-Br) scores, compared with 14.4% in the group that started with standard care alone. Pain scores on the visual analogue scale fell 54.0% in the hyperbaric oxygen group versus 33.5% in the standard-care-only group, and psychopathology scores (EAS-40) dropped 28.4% versus 3.7%. The researchers concluded that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an effective and well-tolerated adjunct to multimodal fibromyalgia care.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified; the study was conducted in Brazil.
Study Limitations
The trial was conducted at a single center with only female participants, and the cross-over design means the delayed group's early results reflect standard care alone rather than a separate control group followed for the full study period.