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To assess the effects of medicinal plants (MPs) or related natural products (RNPs) on fibromyalgia (FM) patients, we evaluate the possible benefits and advantages of MP or RNP for the treatment of FM based on eight randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) involving 475 patients. The methodological quality of all studies included was determined according to JADAD and “Risk of Bias” with the criteria in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions 5.1.0. Evidence suggests significant benefits of MP or RNP in sleep disruption, pain, depression, joint stiffness, anxiety, physical function, and quality of life. Our results demonstrated that MP or RNP had significant effects on improving the symptoms of FM compared to conventional drug or placebo; longer tests are required to determine the duration of the treatment and characterize the long-term safety of using MP, thus suggesting effective alternative therapies in the treatment of pain with minimized side effects.

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: A fisioterapia é uma importante ferramenta na reabilitação após a cirurgia para tratamento do câncer de mama. Os objetivos do estudo foram comparar a amplitude de movimento (ADM), a intensidade de dor no membro superior (MS) homolateral à cirurgia e caracterizá-la antes, durante e após programa de cinesioterapia, além de correlacionar estas variáveis. MÉTODO: Foram incluídas 39 mulheres submetidas ao tratamento cirúrgico do câncer de mama. O programa de fisioterapia envolveu alongamento, exercícios ativo-livres e ativo-assistidos de MS. A ADM foi avaliada pela goniometria, a intensidade de dor pela escala analógica visual (EAV) e caracterizada pelo questionário de dor de McGill no início, após 10 e após 20 sessões de cinesioterapia. Do McGill, foi obtido o escore do número de palavras escolhidas (NWC), do índice de avaliação da dor (PRI) e de suas categorias. Utilizou-se o Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test e correlação de Spearman, considerando p < 0,05. RESULTADOS: Verificou-se redução da intensidade de dor quando comparada a 1ª com a 10ª sessão (p = 0,033). Observou-se aumento significativo da ADM e diminuição significativa do PRI total e NWC quando comparado o início com a 10ª sessão e início e 20ª sessão. Todas as categorias do PRI diminuíram significativamente após a 10ª e 20ª sessão, exceto a afetiva. Não foi encontrada correlação entre ADM, EAV, NWC e PRI. CONCLUSÃO: A cinesioterapia melhorou a ADM e reduziu a dor no MS, especialmente no início da intervenção, evidenciando a importância da abordagem inicial da fisioterapia. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Physical therapy is a major rehabilitation tool after breast cancer surgery. This study aimed at comparing movement amplitude (MA), pain intensity in upper limb ipsilateral to surgery (UL) and at characterizing pain before, during and after a kinesioteraphy program, in addition to correlating such variables. METHOD: Participated in this study 39 females submitted to breast cancer surgery. Physical therapy program has involved UL stretching, free-active and free-assisted exercises. MA was evaluated by goniometry; pain intensity was evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS) and characterized by McGill pain questionnaire in the beginning, after 10 and after 20 kinesiotherapy sessions. McGill has supplied the score of number of words chosen (NWC), of pain evaluation index (PEI) and of its categories. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and Spearman correlation test were used, considering p < 0.05. RESULTS: There has been pain intensity decrease when comparing the 1st to the 10th session (p = 0.033). There has been significant MA improvement and significant decrease of total PEI and NWC when the beginning was compared to the 10th session and to the 20th session. All PEI categories have significantly decreased after 10th and 20th sessions, except for the affective. No correlation was found among MA, VAS, MWC and PEI. CONCLUSION: Kinesiotherapy has improved MA and has decreased UL pain, especially in the beginning of the intervention, showing the importance of an early physical therapy approach.