Massage therapy is widely used by patients with
fibromyalgia seeking symptom relief. We performed a review of all available studies with an emphasis on randomized controlled trials to determine whether
massage therapy can be a viable treatment of
fibromyalgia symptoms. Extensive narrative review. PubMed, PsychInfo, CINAHL, PEDro, ISI Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases (inception-December 2009) were searched for the key words "
massage", "massotherapy", "self-
massage", "soft tissue manipulation", "soft tissue mobilization", "
complementary medicine", "
fibromyalgia" "
fibrositis", and "myofascial
pain". No language restrictions were imposed. The reference lists of all articles retrieved in full were also searched. The effects of
massage on
fibromyalgia symptoms have been examined in two single-arm studies and six randomized controlled trials. All reviewed studies showed short-term benefits of
massage, and only one single-arm study demonstrated long-term benefits. All reviewed studies had methodological problems. The existing literature provides modest support for use of
massage therapy in treating
fibromyalgia. Additional rigorous research is needed in order to establish
massage therapy as a safe and effective intervention for
fibromyalgia. In
massage therapy of
fibromyalgia, we suggest that
massage will be painless, its intensity should be increased gradually from session to session, in accordance with patient's symptoms; and the sessions should be performed at least 1-2 times a week.