Fibromyalgia (FM) is a syndrome of unknown aetiology that is characterised by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and disordered sleep, and often associated with neuropsychiatric and cognitive symptoms. Current treatment options are only partially effective, but hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) seems to be capable of relieving some of the symptoms. The aim of this study was…
Exposure to a specific pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) has been shown to produce analgesic (antinociceptive) effects in many organisms. In a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial, patients with either chronic generalized pain from fibromyalgia (FM) or chronic localized musculoskeletal or inflammatory pain were exposed to a PEMF (400 microT) through a portable device fitted to…
This study evaluated the clinical effectiveness of low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy for women with fibromyalgia (FM). Fifty-six women with FM, aged 18 to 60 years, were randomly assigned to either PEMF or sham therapy. Both the PEMF group (n=28) and the sham group (n=28) participated in therapy, 30 minutes per session, twice a…
Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread pain and tenderness. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT), an emerging nonpharmacological treatment, has been used for relieving musculoskeletal or neuropathic pain. The objective of this review and meta-analysis was to determine the efficacy of LLLT on patients with fibromyalgia. Asystematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs evaluating the effect…
Traditionally, hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) has been used to treat a limited repertoire of disease, including decompression sickness and healing of problem wounds. However, some investigators have used HBOT to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Comprehensive searches were conducted in 8 scientific databases through 2011 to identify publications using…
Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy is reported to attenuate pain in both clinical pain conditions and animal pain models, but the underlying mechanism remains to be investigated. Here, we show that 7 daily 60-minute HBO (100% oxygen, 2 atmosphere absolute) treatments effectively and persistently inhibited heat hyperalgesia, mechanical allodynia, and paw edema induced by peripheral injection…
A genome-wide microarray analysis of gene expression was carried out on human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) exposed to hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) under conditions that approximated clinical settings. Highly up-regulated genes included immediate early transcription factors (FOS, FOSB, and JUNB) and metallothioneins. Six molecular chaperones were also up-regulated immediately following HBOT, and all of these…
Low back pain is a worldwide prevalent musculoskeletal condition in the general population. In this sense, the pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) therapy has shown significant clinical benefits in several musculoskeletal conditions. This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the PEMF therapy in reducing pain and clinical symptomatology in patients with low back pathological…
Further research on pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) effects on the different conditions of low back pain was warranted due to lack of studies in this area. To investigate the effects of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy with 50 Hz frequency, with low intensity of 20 Gauss compared to conventional non-invasive treatment modalities in patients with chronic…
Wound healing is a highly coordinated and complex process involving various cell types, chemical mediators and the surrounding extracellular matrix, resulting in a tightly orchestrated re-establishment of tissue integrity by specific cytokines. It consists of various dynamic processes including a series of overlapping phases: inflammation, proliferation, re-epithelialization and remodeling. One of the underlying mechanisms responsible…