A Prospective Observational Study of a 2-Week Integrative Inpatient Therapy on Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Background : The fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is classified as a functional somatic syndrome and is characterized primarily by chronic pain in multiple body regions and physical and/or mental fatigue. The German S3-guideline recommends a multimodal therapy for severe forms. Since research on non-pharmacologic complementary, naturopathic, and integrative therapy approaches shows positive and promising effects, integrative methods are firmly anchored in the S3 guideline. Objective/Methods : Aim of the present study was to investigate whether a multimodal integrative treatment program can be effective in reducing the primary symptoms of FMS (pain and fatigue) and improving psychological aspects such as quality of life (QoL), anxiety, depression, and perceived stress. Another aim of the study is to explore whether potential effects appear only in the short term (immediately after discharge) or persist long term (six months after discharge). The treatment concept is based on mind–body medicine and elements of classical European naturopathy (including fasting interventions) and focusses on stress reduction and lifestyle modification. Results : Of N = 134 originally included longstanding fibromyalgia patients (mean time since diagnosis 9.2 ± 8.5 years), 101 data sets could be analyzed. Results show a significant improvement in both short-term and long-term pain and fatigue intensity (about 12% improvement). Long-term reductions in pain intensity appear to be supported by medical fasting interventions. Regarding psychological aspects and quality of life, there are long-lasting reductions regarding anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and helplessness and a long-lasting increase in self-efficacy, quality of life and current working ability. Conclusions : The two-weeks inpatient stay therefore leads to significant improvements in all mentioned aspects. Therefore, the concept may be a promising component for integration into medical guidelines and thus in the care of FMS patients. Future research including randomized controlled trials is necessary to further evaluate the program.