Efeitos da eletroestimulação transcraniana por corrente contínua associado à cinesioterapia sobre a dor e funcionalidade de mulheres com fibromialgia: um estudo piloto

Abstract

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a syndrome of the Central Nervous System (CNS), whose etiology is still little known, characterized mainly by diffuse and chronic musculoskeletal pain that cause functional disability and low quality of life. Conventional treatment is medication, however, in most cases, it is not effective. Thus, kinesiotherapy together with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) present clinical evidence about FM. In this sense, the central objective of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of two different tDCS protocols associated with a kinesiotherapy protocol on the pain and functionality of women with FM. For this, a pilot, triple-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled study was carried out, involving 13 participants diagnosed with FM, aged between 40 and 55 years, randomly distributed in two different groups: Group (1) active tDCS in the primary motor cortex - M1; Group (2) tDCS sham in the same location. The intervention consisted of applying tDCS, for 20 minutes, associated with a kinesiotherapy protocol, totaling 12 sessions, distributed three times a week, preceded by an initial assessment with instruments for pain analysis (Visual Analogue Scale - VAS) and functionality (Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire - FIQ). As a result, there was a decrease in the averages of pain and functionality after treatment, showing significant improvement only over functionality. It is concluded, therefore, that the association of tDCS with kinesiotherapy can be a good complementary practice in clinical care, since it promotes substantial improvement in the functional performance of women with FM.