While no clinical trial to date has specifically targeted fatigue , r and omized controlled trials , systematic review s , and meta-analyses indicate that treatment modalities studied in the context of other fibromyalgia symptoms could also improve fatigue .
Fatigue is a disabling , multifaceted symptom that is highly prevalent and stubbornly persistent .
Although fatigue is a frequent complaint among patients with fibromyalgia , it has not received the same attention as pain .
Reasons for this include lack of st and ardized nomenclature to communicate about fatigue , lack of evidence -based guidelines for fatigue assessment , and a deficiency in effective treatment strategies .
Fatigue does not occur in isolation ; rather , it is present concurrently in varying severity with other fibromyalgia symptoms such as chronic widespread pain , unrefreshing sleep , anxiety , depression , cognitive difficulties , and so on .
Survey-based and preliminary mechanistic studies indicate that multiple symptoms feed into fatigue and it may be associated with a variety of physiological mechanisms .
Effects of low power laser and low dose amitriptyline therapy on clinical symptoms and quality of life in fibromyalgia: a single-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Abstract . The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of low power laser ( LPL ) and low-dose amitriptyline therapy and to investigate effects of these therapy modalities on clinical symptoms and quality of life ( QOL ) in patients with fibromyalgia ( FM ) . Seventy-five patients with FM were r and omly allocated to active gallium-arsenide ( Ga-As ) laser ( 25 patients ) , placebo laser ( 25 patients ) , and amitriptyline therapy ( 25 patients ) . All groups were evaluated for the improvement in pain , number of tender points , skin fold tenderness , morning stiffness , sleep disturbance , muscular spasm , and fatigue . Depression was evaluated by a psychiatrist according to the Hamilton Depression Rate Scale and DSM IV criteria . Quality of life of the FM patients was assessed according to the Fibromyalgia Impact Question naire ( FIQ ) . In the laser group , patients were treated for 3 min at each tender point daily for 2 weeks , except weekends , at each point with approximately 2 J/cm2 using a Ga-As laser . The same unit was used for the placebo treatment , for which no laser beam was emitted . Patients in the amitriptyline group took 10 mg daily at bedtime throughout the 8 weeks . Significant improvements were indicated in all clinical parameters in the laser group ( P=0.001 ) and significant improvements were indicated in all clinical parameters except fatigue in the amitriptyline group ( P=0.000 ) , whereas significant improvements were indicated in pain ( P=0.000 ) , tender point number ( P=0.001 ) , muscle spasm ( P=0.000 ) , morning stiffness ( P=0.002 ) , and FIQ score ( P=0.042 ) in the placebo group . A significant difference was observed in clinical parameters such as pain intensity ( P=0.000 ) and fatigue ( P=0.000 ) in favor of the laser group over the other groups , and a significant difference was observed in morning stiffness ( P=0.001 ) , FIQ ( P=0.003 ) , and depression score ( P=0.000 ) after therapy . A significant difference was observed in morning stiffness ( P=0.001 ) , FIQ ( P=0.003 ) , and depression ( P=0.000 ) in the amitriptyline group compared to the placebo group after therapy . Additionally , a significant difference was observed in depression score ( P=0.000 ) in the amitriptyline group in comparison to the laser group after therapy . Our study suggests that both amitriptyline and laser therapies are effective on clinical symptoms and QOL in fibromyalgia and that Ga-As laser therapy is a safe and effective treatment in cases with FM . Additionally , the present study suggests that the Ga-As laser therapy can be used as a monotherapy or as a supplementary treatment to other therapeutic procedures in FM
While no clinical trial to date has specifically targeted fatigue , r and omized controlled trials , systematic review s , and meta-analyses indicate that treatment modalities studied in the context of other fibromyalgia symptoms could also improve fatigue .
Fatigue is a disabling , multifaceted symptom that is highly prevalent and stubbornly persistent .
Although fatigue is a frequent complaint among patients with fibromyalgia , it has not received the same attention as pain .
Reasons for this include lack of st and ardized nomenclature to communicate about fatigue , lack of evidence -based guidelines for fatigue assessment , and a deficiency in effective treatment strategies .
Fatigue does not occur in isolation ; rather , it is present concurrently in varying severity with other fibromyalgia symptoms such as chronic widespread pain , unrefreshing sleep , anxiety , depression , cognitive difficulties , and so on .
Survey-based and preliminary mechanistic studies indicate that multiple symptoms feed into fatigue and it may be associated with a variety of physiological mechanisms .