Why Look At Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy For Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a long lasting condition marked by widespread pain, fatigue, and reduced physical capacity. Many standard approaches, like exercise programs, can be helpful but may also feel challenging for people already dealing with pain and exhaustion. This clinical trial explored whether low pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy for fibromyalgia could offer benefits for symptoms such as pain and fatigue, and how it compares with a structured physical exercise program.
Inside The Study: Three Different Approaches
Forty nine women with fibromyalgia were randomly assigned to one of three groups:
- A physical exercise group
- A low pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy group
- A control group that did not receive either intervention
Researchers evaluated several outcomes before and after the interventions, including induced fatigue, perceived pain at rest, pressure pain threshold, endurance and functional capacity, physical performance, and cortical excitability.
Key Findings: Pain, Fatigue, And Function
The results showed a clear difference between the groups:
- Perceived pain and induced fatigue improved significantly only in the hyperbaric oxygen therapy group, not in the exercise or control groups.
- Pressure pain threshold, endurance, functional capacity, and physical performance improved in both the hyperbaric oxygen therapy and exercise groups, suggesting that each approach can support better physical function.
- Cortical excitability, measured through resting motor threshold, did not change significantly in any group.
Taken together, the findings suggest that low pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy for fibromyalgia may offer a unique benefit for both pain and fatigue, while also supporting improvements in physical performance that are similar to those seen with exercise.
What This Could Mean For Women Living With Fibromyalgia
This randomized clinical trial indicates that both low pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy and physical exercise may help improve key functional measures in women with fibromyalgia, with hyperbaric oxygen therapy showing additional benefits for pain and fatigue at rest. More research will be needed to confirm long term effects, ideal treatment protocols, and how best to integrate hyperbaric oxygen therapy into comprehensive fibromyalgia care plans.
Check out the PubMed article here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7315668/
