Effects of Myofascial Release on the Pain and Quality of Life in Patients with Fibromyalgia

Objectives: To investigate the effects of myofascial release technique on pain and quality of life (QoL) in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted to investigate the effects of myofascial release technique on patients with FM in Shalamar Hospital Lahore, Pakistan. After initial screening, 28 patients aged 25 to 45 years of both genders meeting the predetermined inclusion criteria were selected using convenience sampling. They were divided into two groups. Group A was treated with myofascial release therapy and passive stretching, while group B was treated with passive stretching alone. The McGill pain questionnaire (MPQ) was used to assess the pain, and the revised FM impact questionnaire (FIQR) was used to evaluate QoL. Results: Out of 28 participants, 11(39.3%) were male and 17(60.7%) were females. Pre- and post-treatment mean scores of pain rating index on MPQ were 46.76±10.47 and 23.79±7.43 for the experimental group and 43.36±12.7 and 30.0±9.89 for the control group, respectively (P>0.05). Mean pre- and post-treatment FIQR scores were 52.9±13.6 and 33.02±13.75 for the experimental group and 57.77±23.04 and 46.59±19.37 for the control group, respectively. The difference in the means of post-treatment scores of the two groups for FIQR was significant (P=0.042). Discussion: Compared with passive stretching alone, the myofascial release method for FM did not demonstrate significant improvement in alleviating pain among such patients. However, it is remarkable that myofascial release therapy unveiled a positive impact by improving the overall QoL for FM patients.