02/09/2026
What a wonderful way to start the new academic year by sharing a new piece of research: a randomised controlled trial by Chen et al. (2025) exploring the effectiveness of Bowen Therapy for fibromyalgia.
The objective was to determine whether Bowen therapy can help alleviate pain, enhance functional capacity, reduce sleep and mood disturbances, and improve overall quality of life.
The study followed 78 participants split into two groups: one receiving eight sessions of Bowen therapy over 12 weeks alongside conventional care, and a control group continuing conventional care alone.
Positive Highlights & Percentage Changes
Lower Limb Endurance: An approximate 66.7% increase in successful stands from a baseline mean of 6 to 10 post-treatment, with benefits sustained for 12 weeks.
Dominant Arm Endurance: An approximate 54.5% increase in successful arm curls from a baseline mean of 11 to 17 post-treatment.
Non-Dominant Arm Endurance: An approximate 40.0% increase in successful curls from a baseline mean of 10 to 14 post-treatment.
Reduced Activity Interference: An approximate 17.5% reduction on the Brief Pain Inventory interference scale, dropping from a baseline mean of 5.7 to 4.7.
Mental Health-Related Quality of Life: An approximate 15.9% improvement in SF-36 Mental Component Summary scores, rising from a baseline mean of 33.3 to 38.6.
Safety: No serious adverse events or safety concerns were reported.
It is encouraging to see greater insight into how bodywork supports those navigating chronic conditions. We would love to hear from you if this was relevant for you.
To read the study in full, you can visit the research page on the BTPA website: https://www.bowentherapy.org.uk/evidence-for-bowen-therapy.php
