Home-based pain and fatigue management in fibromyalgia: feasibility of a new intervention

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to test the feasibility of a new pain and fatigue self-management technique, bilateral stimulation and desensitization (BSD), in fibromyalgia (FM). Methods: This mixed methods study contained a pilot randomized trial and a qualitative feedback assessment about using BSD as obtained from participant interviews. Twenty-nine subjects were recruited. Participants were mailed a BSD demonstration video, duplicate written instructions, and an mp3 file of the audio BSD technique. Online diaries tracked pain, fatigue, and intervention use. Results: Post-enrollment attrition was 17.2%. Although pain and fatigue reduction were non-significant (p <.10), effect sizes were medium to large (d =.69–.72). In addition, pain catastrophizing was significantly reduced (p =.03; d =.80). Diary data showed significant reductions in fatigue and pain (p <.02) and participant usage of the BSD technique from 4.5 to 4.7 times/week. Twelve out of 14 (85.7%) interviewed subjects rated the program favorably for its convenience and effectiveness. Low-frequency side effects were reported for the BSD techniques of finger taps and sounds. Conclusion: This development study showed initial feasibility of a brief self-management intervention that may show potential to reduce pain and fatigue in FM.