Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic disorder that is characterized by widespread
pain with localized tenderness. We aimed to investigate whether thermal
therapy combining
sauna therapy and underwater exercise improved
pain, symptoms, and quality of life (QOL) in FMS patients. Forty-four female FMS patients who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria received 12-week thermal
therapy program comprising
sauna therapy once daily for 3 days/week and underwater exercise once daily for 2 days/week.
Pain, symptoms, and QOL were assessed using a
pain visual analog scale (
VAS), a fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ), and a short form 36-item questionnaire (SF-36), respectively. All of the patients reported significant reductions in
pain and symptoms of 31-77% after the 12-week thermal
therapy program, which remained relatively stable (28-68%) during the 6-month follow-up period (that is, the thermal
therapy program improved both the short-term and the long-term VAS and FIQ scores). Improvements were also observed in the SF-36 score. Thermal
therapy combining
sauna therapy and underwater exercise improved the QOL as well as the
pain and symptoms of FMS patients.