Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of Patients Suffering from Fibromyalgia after the Classic and Tensegration Massage

Abstract

Abstract Pain in the course of fibromyalgia (FMS) is a serious therapeutic problem of modern medicine. Patients experience generalized pain within the musculoskeletal system, which significantly reduces the perceived level of quality of life. The aim of the study was to analyze the impact of therapeutic massage on the alleviation of pain in fibromyalgia and the change in HRQoL after the use of this type of therapy, including the classic and tensegration massage. The study group consisted of 41 people suffering from FMS (F:21; M:20). The mean age of all the studies people was 40 ± 9.6 years. All studied people participated in two short therapeutic series consisting of three procedures. The interval between the therapeutic series was two months. The series included: a single series of the classic massage and the tenseg-ration massage, respectively. Before and after each of the therapeutic series, the patients completed a survey questionnaire, based on the EQ-5D-5L standard. The analysis for independent variables was carried out using the Mann-Whitney U test, the Wilcoxon pair order test for dependent variables, and the Spearman rank coefficient was determined. The assumed level of significance was p ≤ 0.05. A greater effectiveness of the tensegration massage compared to the classic massage was confirmed by analyzing the results of EQ-5D-5L. Analysis of the relationship between the first and second measurement in each of the EQ-5D-5L domains before and after the massage indicated significant relationships in the case of the tensegration massage (p ≤ 0.05 in each domain except the self-care domain p = 0.116). In the case of classical massage, a significant relationship was noted only in the domains of: pain and discomfort (p = 0.045) and anxiety and depression (p = 0.012). A significantly higher average level on the EQ-VAS scale was confirmed after the applied tensegration massage (I-TM:76.3 ± 16.9; II-TM:87.9 ± 13.6; p < 0.001). In addition, the beneficial effect of physical activity and BMI on the effectiveness of fibromyalgia treatment and the level of HRQoL was demonstrated. Massage is an effective therapeutic method in fibromyalgia, allowing to improve health and thus HRQoL. Factors such as physical activity and BMI are also important.