The patient and the rationale
A 47-year-old man with intense pain affecting daily life was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Because even light contact provoked pain, Kanshoho was introduced as a low-force muscle relaxation technique.
Twenty days, site by site
Treatment took place in hospital under the supervision of an experienced physician and began at about 1 N (100 g). Site and session length were adjusted to symptoms, and the force was raised step by step — about 2 N, then 3 N — reaching about 4 N (400 g) on day 19.
On day 12 the patient reported intense whole-body pain, with a VAS of 98 mm at every site. Follow-up continued, and on day 20 the values were 3 mm (left neck), 10 mm (right neck), 3 mm (posterior neck), 17 mm (right shoulder) and 5 mm (left shoulder).
| Day | Neck, left | Neck, right | Neck, posterior | Right shoulder | Left shoulder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 78 | 79 | 82 | 91 | 81 |
| 8 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 55 | 54 |
| 11 | 56 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 70 |
| 12 | 98 | 98 | 98 | 98 | 98 |
| 13 | 58 | 63 | 51 | 84 | 54 |
| 14 | 31 | 46 | 35 | 67 | 47 |
| 16 | 35 | 49 | 34 | 58 | 44 |
| 18 | 36 | 51 | 38 | 53 | 43 |
| 19 | 41 | 50 | 41 | 48 | 43 |
| 20 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 5 |
Pain VAS in mm, measured after each day’s session; all measurement days in Table 1 of the paper are shown. Source: Amitani et al., 2024, Table 1
The authors discuss relaxation of the trapezius, intramuscular pressure and the weather as possible contributors.
Scope and next steps
Research direction
The adjustments of site, force and duration in this case suggest a protocol that records response to contact alongside daily pain and function. Shared assessment points across several patients would allow comparison of response patterns and longer-term outcomes. Linking local mechanical measurements with symptoms is a further direction for collaborative study.
Safety and reporting
Contact-evoked pain and daily symptoms were checked throughout. The paper stresses supervision by an experienced physician and adjustment of the force to the patient’s condition. Written consent was obtained for publication of the case, images and video. The authors declared no funding and no competing interests.
Sources
Sections marked “Research direction” describe hypotheses and proposed studies for discussion with collaborators. Observations are presented with their participants, methods and sources.
Last updated: 21 September 2026