Effectiveness of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined With Exercising in People With Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Sham-Controlled Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with exercising in people with fibromyalgia.

DESIGN

Randomized, triple-blind, sham-controlled, clinical trial.

SETTING

Primary health care center.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 120 volunteer participants (N=120) between 18 and 65 years old and diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Four participants dropped out of the study for causes unrelated to the intervention.

INTERVENTION: Participants were randomized into 3 groups (active tDCS+exercising, sham tDCS+exercising, no-intervention control). The intervention was delivered in 5 sessions over 2 weeks.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain intensity and referred pain area after suprathreshold pressure stimulation.

RESULTS

Pain intensity further decreased in the active tDCS group vs control (mean, -14.43; 95% confidence interval, -25.27 to -3.58) at post intervention, unlike the sham tDCS group. Both tDCS groups did not achieve greater reductions in referred pain vs control. In the active tDCS group, health status (mean, -14.80; 95% confidence interval, -23.10 to -6.50) and pain catastrophizing (mean, -6.68, 95% confidence interval, -11.62 to -1.73) improved at post intervention, and so did health status (mean, -8.81; 95% confidence interval, -17.11 to -0.51), pain catastrophizing (mean, -7.00; 95% confidence interval, -12.13 to -1.87), and depression (mean, -3.52; 95% confidence interval, -6.86 to -0.19) after 1 month. In the sham tDCS group, improvements were recorded in health status (mean, -13.21; 95% confidence interval, -21.52 to -4.91) and depression (mean, -3.35; 95% confidence interval, -6.35 to -0.35) at post intervention and in health status (mean, -8.77; 95% confidence interval, -17.06 to -0.47), pain catastrophizing (mean, -5.68; 95% confidence interval, -10.80 to -0.55), and depression (mean, -3.98; 95% confidence interval, -7.31 to -0.64) after 1 month. No intergroup differences were observed between active and sham tDCS.

CONCLUSIONS

Active and sham tDCS improved health status, pain catastrophizing, and depression vs control, but pain intensity decreased only in the active tDCS group.