Trial reportRheumatology international2017
A comparison of the effects of exercises plus connective tissue massage to exercises alone in women with fibromyalgia syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Rheumatology international, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04211701 (Comparison of the Effects of Connective Tissue Massage and Classical Massage Methods on Pain, Flexibility, Disability and Autonomic Responses in Chronic Mechanical Back Pain, Randomized Study), which is not on this map. Cited by 12 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Comparison of the Effects of Connective Tissue Massage and Classical Massage Methods on Pain, Flexibility, Disability and Autonomic Responses in Chronic Mechanical Back Pain, Randomized Study
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- Guidelines on Treating Fibromyalgia With Nonpharmacological Therapies in China.Journal of evidence-based medicine · 2025Guideline
- Effects of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for the management of sleep problems in people with fibromyalgia: a multi-methods evidence synthesis.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Pooled it
- The potential impact of exercise on affect and neuroinflammation in older adults living with fibromyalgia: a scoping review.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2024Pooled it
- Are OMERACT recommendations followed in clinical trials on fibromyalgia? A systematic review of patient-reported outcomes and their measures.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2023Pooled it
- Mixed exercise training for adults with fibromyalgia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Comparison of the effect of connective tissue massage and foam roller in fibromyalgia patients.Irish journal of medical science · 2026Article
- Article
- "Hands-On" and "Hands-Off" Physiotherapy Treatments in Fibromyalgia Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Biomedicines · 2024Review
- Effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Network Meta-Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2024Review
- Effects of Combined Training Programs in Individuals with Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- The Impact of Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Pain and Life Quality in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome.BioMed research international · 2020Article
- Adding connective tissue manipulation to physiotherapy for chronic low back pain improves pain, mobility, and well-being: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of exercise rehabilitation · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of a 6-week combined exercise program with and without connective tissue massage (CTM) on pain, fatigue, sleep problem, health status, and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Patients were randomly allocated into Exercise (n = 20) and Exercise + CTM (n = 20) groups. The exercise program with and without CTM was carried out 2 days a week for 6 weeks. Pain, fatigue, sleep problem with Visual Analog Scales, health status with Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), and quality of life with Short Form-36 were evaluated. After the program, pain, fatigue and sleep problem reduced, health status (except of the scores of FIQ-1 and FIQ-10), physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, bodily pain, role limitations due to emotional health, vitality, and general health perceptions parameters related to quality of life improved in the Exercise group, (P < 0.05). In the Exercise + CTM group, pain, fatigue and sleep problem decreased, health status and quality of life improved (P < 0.05). Pain, fatigue, sleep problem, and role limitations due to physical health improved in the Exercise + CTM group in comparison to the Exercise group (P < 0.05). The study suggested that exercises with and without CTM might be effective for decreasing pain, fatigue and sleep problem whereas increasing health status and quality of life in patients with FMS. However, exercises with CTM might be superior in improving pain, fatigue, sleep problem, and role limitations due to physical health compared to exercise alone.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.