Fibromyalgia and hyperbaric oxygen therapy: reduced pain
In 2013, Dr. Shai Efrati and his team conducted a study to evaluate the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on 48 women with fibromyalgia.
After less than 2 months of therapy, they observed an improvement in the patients' pain and quality of life. Some of them were even able to stop taking their daily painkillers.
What is fibromyalgia?
First of all, fibromyalgia is a disease that affects between 2 and 4% of the population, with a ratio of 9 women to 1 man.
Characteristic symptoms of fibromyalgia include chronic widespread pain, associated with severe fatigue and sleep disturbances. Cognitive impairments may also be observed, which include:
- short and long term memory problems.
- reduced speed of information processing .
- reduced attention span.
- limited multitasking performance.
Fibromyalgia syndrome can result from head trauma, infection (viral disease, Lyme disease), or severe emotional stress. The medical profession has not yet fully understood this disease.
Treating Fibromyalgia with a Hyperbaric Chamber
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the one and only way to over-oxygenate your body. So, when you are comfortably installed in a hyperbaric chamber , you receive 2 to 3 times more oxygen than usual. This allows you to trigger regeneration mechanisms at the cellular level and stimulate neuroplasticity. If you are not yet familiar with this therapy, I invite you to read this page .
In this study, the team of scientists followed 48 patients with fibromyalgia. These women were between 21 and 67 years old, and had been diagnosed for at least 2 years. The treatment consisted of 40 hyperbaric chamber sessions, over a period of 2 months. In order to carry out a quality study, the researchers divided (randomly) the participants into 2 groups:
- The first group, consisting of 24 patients, was treated immediately for 2 months.
- The second group, called the "control" group, consisted of 24 patients. These patients did not receive any treatment during the first 2 months, so that the evolution of their disease could be compared to the members of the first group. And it was only 2 months later that these women were able to complete their 40 sessions in the hyperbaric chamber.
What improvements for fibromyalgia patients treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
In this study, scientists used several recognized tests to measure the state of the syndrome and assess its impact on the quality of life of patients. Below is a summary of the improvements observed.
A reduction in the number of painful points
First of all, the first test used is that of painful points. During an oscultation, a rheumatologist will exert pressure on 18 very specific points. Thus, the examination makes it possible to count the points considered painful.
After 40 sessions in a hyperbaric chamber , the number of painful points reduced significantly.
Improved pain threshold
Using a dolorimeter, pressure is applied to several points on the body. The pressure increases and stops once the pain threshold is reached.
After 2 months of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the pain threshold was pushed back. Indeed, after treatment, it takes 2 to 3 times more pressure to reach the pain threshold than before treatment.
Reducing the impact of fibromyalgia on patients' lives
The Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire is a scale designed to measure the impact of fibromyalgia syndrome on the patient's functional abilities. It measures physical activity, work possibilities, depression, anxiety, sleep, pain, stiffness, fatigue and feeling of well-being. After 40 sessions in a hyperbaric chamber , the observed score was lower, which indicates a lesser impact of the syndrome on the person.
A reduction in psychological distress
Then, the patients answered a second self-questionnaire, called SCL-90 . This allows to assess psychological distress. The scores obtained after the treatment are lower, so the psychological distress is considered lower.
An improvement in the quality of life
A final questionnaire used, called the SF-36 , measures health-related quality of life. After the 40 sessions in the hyperbaric chamber , the scores increased, indicating less disability.
What is the impact of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on fibromyalgia pain? ?
As a result of all these scientifically measured improvements, hyperbaric oxygen therapy also helped improve the pain experienced by these women. Some of them were able to reduce the amount of painkillers they took. Others were even able to stop taking them completely.
The 24 patients in the first group
- Before treatment, 9 women were taking daily painkiller treatment (4 women were taking 1 painkiller and 5 women were taking 2 different painkillers).
- After treatment, 3 patients (out of the 9 initially) stopped taking painkillers.
3 women (out of the 4 at the start) now take 1 painkiller, and 3 women (out of the 5 at the start) now take 2 painkillers.
The 24 patients in the second group
- Before treatment, 12 women were taking daily painkiller treatment (10 women were taking 1 painkiller and 2 women were taking 2 different painkillers).
- As expected, the first 2 months of observation (without treatment) did not change anything.
- After treatment, 5 patients (out of the 12 initially) stopped taking painkillers. And 7 women are taking 1 painkiller.
Fibromyalgia and the Brain
But what is the connection between fibromyalgia, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and the brain?
The medical profession does not fully understand fibromyalgia syndrome, but researchers are considering several serious avenues. One of them links fibromyalgia syndrome to abnormal processing of pain by the brain.
A little earlier, in 2008, Professor Eric Guedj and his team from Marseilles succeeded in demonstrating that there were brain differences between patients with fibromyalgia and people in full health. Since then, several studies have confirmed this difference. The disease would therefore be associated with high activity in the somatosensory cortex and reduced activity in the frontal, cingulate, medial temporal and cerebellar cortexes.
In red: posterior hyperperfusion, including the somatosensory cortex. In green: hypoperfusion of the frontal, cingulate, temporal and cerebellar cortices.
And this is precisely what the study I am talking about in this article validates.
Dr. Shai Efrati and his team have demonstrated that hyperbaric oxygen therapy induces neuroplasticity , which causes beneficial and lasting changes in brain areas with abnormal activity in patients with fibromyalgia.
Furthermore, the changes in brain activity detected by SPECT coincided with the improvement of FMS symptoms, so much so that most patients were able to reduce or completely stop taking painkillers. In other words, the plausible causal chain is that the changes in brain activity were induced by hyperbaric oxygen therapy, these changes alleviated FMS symptoms and pain, leading to a reduced need for painkillers.
Doctor Shai Efrati
How does a session in a hyperbaric chamber take place?
Below, I offer you a short video to show you concretely the progress of a session (which is also called " diving ") in a portable hyperbaric chamber. Subtitles are available for the hearing impaired.