TY - JOUR
T1 - Treating fibromyalgia with electrical neuromodulation
T2 - A systematic review and meta-analysis
AU - Cheng, Ying Chih
AU - Hsiao, Chia Ying
AU - Su, Min I.
AU - Chiu, Chih Chiang
AU - Huang, Yu Chen
AU - Huang, Wei Lieh
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Ms. Yi-Mei Huang for her administrative work during manuscript preparation. Y.-C. Cheng, C.-Y. Hsiao, M.-I. Su, C.-C. Chiu and W.-L. Huang reviewed the literature and designed the study. Y.-C. Cheng and Y.-C. Huang analyzed and interpreted the data. Y.-C. Cheng and W.-L. Huang drafted the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology
PY - 2023/4
Y1 - 2023/4
N2 - Objective: Several types of electrical neuromodulation (such as transcranial direct current stimulation, tDCS; transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) have been applied in the treatment of fibromyalgia. These trials had different outcome measurements, such as subjective pain, pain threshold, depression, anxiety, and functioning. We intended to integrate data from different trials into a meta-analysis to clearly present the clinical value of electrical neuromodulation in fibromyalgia. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing the effect of all types of electrical neuromodulation in patients with fibromyalgia was conducted. The main outcome was subjective pain; the secondary outcomes included depression, anxiety, and functioning. Results: Twenty-five studies and 1061 fibromyalgia patients were included in the quantitative analysis. Active electrical neuromodulation and active tDCS both showed significant effects on subjective pain, depression, and functioning. For different anode tDCS electrode positions, only F3-F4 revealed a significant effect on depression. Meta-regression tDCS effects on depression were significantly associated with age. Conclusions: Electrical neuromodulation is significantly effective in treating pain, depression, and functioning in patients with fibromyalgia. Significance: The results may help clinicians to arrange effective treatment plans for patients with fibromyalgia, especially in those patients who reveal limited response to pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy.
AB - Objective: Several types of electrical neuromodulation (such as transcranial direct current stimulation, tDCS; transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) have been applied in the treatment of fibromyalgia. These trials had different outcome measurements, such as subjective pain, pain threshold, depression, anxiety, and functioning. We intended to integrate data from different trials into a meta-analysis to clearly present the clinical value of electrical neuromodulation in fibromyalgia. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing the effect of all types of electrical neuromodulation in patients with fibromyalgia was conducted. The main outcome was subjective pain; the secondary outcomes included depression, anxiety, and functioning. Results: Twenty-five studies and 1061 fibromyalgia patients were included in the quantitative analysis. Active electrical neuromodulation and active tDCS both showed significant effects on subjective pain, depression, and functioning. For different anode tDCS electrode positions, only F3-F4 revealed a significant effect on depression. Meta-regression tDCS effects on depression were significantly associated with age. Conclusions: Electrical neuromodulation is significantly effective in treating pain, depression, and functioning in patients with fibromyalgia. Significance: The results may help clinicians to arrange effective treatment plans for patients with fibromyalgia, especially in those patients who reveal limited response to pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy.
KW - Electrical neuromodulation
KW - Fibromyalgia
KW - Pain
KW - Transcranial direct current stimulation
KW - Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85147877163&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85147877163&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.clinph.2023.01.011
DO - 10.1016/j.clinph.2023.01.011
M3 - Article
C2 - 36774784
AN - SCOPUS:85147877163
SN - 1388-2457
VL - 148
SP - 17
EP - 28
JO - Clinical Neurophysiology
JF - Clinical Neurophysiology
ER -