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Chiropractic treatment for fibromyalgia: a systematic review

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Abstract

Many patients use chiropractic as a treatment of fibromyalgia, and many chiropractors seem to be convinced that it is effective for that condition. The aim of the study was to conduct a systematic review of randomised clinical trials testing the effectiveness of chiropractic care for fibromyalgia. Six electronic literature searches were conducted. No language restrictions were applied. Data extraction and validation were carried out by two independent reviewers. Three studies met the inclusion criteria. Their methodological quality was poor. They generated no evidence to suggest that chiropractic care is effective for fibromyalgia. Currently, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that chiropractic is an effective treatment for fibromyalgia.

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Acknowledgement

I thank Katherine Hunt for helping with the data extraction and the Jadad scores as well as Kate Boddy for conducting the electronic literature searches.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter & Plymouth, 25 Victoria Park Road, Exeter, EX2 4NT, UK

    Edzard Ernst

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  1. Edzard Ernst
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Correspondence to Edzard Ernst.

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Ernst, E. Chiropractic treatment for fibromyalgia: a systematic review. Clin Rheumatol 28, 1175–1178 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-009-1217-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-009-1217-9

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