Resolution of Long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms following kanshoho, a low-pressure muscle relaxation technique: A case report. — CFSMEATLAS
Resolution of Long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms following kanshoho, a low-pressure muscle relaxation technique: A case report.
Amitani, Haruka, Sakato, Takashi, Asakawa, Akihiro · Explore (New York, N.Y.) · 2026 · DOI
Quick Summary
A woman with Long COVID and ME/CFS who had severe fatigue, pain, brain fog, and sleep problems tried a gentle hands-on relaxation technique called kanshoho along with activity pacing advice. After 10 treatment sessions over 2.5 months, her symptoms completely resolved, and she was able to stop her antidepressant medication without symptom worsening. While this is just one person's experience, it suggests this low-pressure approach might help some ME/CFS patients who cannot tolerate exercise-based treatments.
Why It Matters
Many ME/CFS patients cannot safely use exercise-based rehabilitation due to post-exertional malaise, which worsens symptoms after physical activity. This case suggests an alternative low-load physical therapy approach might help some patients and warrants investigation in controlled trials, potentially expanding treatment options for this severely limited population.
Observed Findings
Fatigue severity decreased from 79 mm to 0 mm on visual analog scale
Performance status improved from 7 (completely disabled) to 0 (normal)
Mood disturbance score on POMS-2 decreased from 136 to -19
Sertraline was successfully tapered and discontinued without symptom worsening
All reported symptoms (fatigue, neck/shoulder pain, numbness, brain fog, insomnia) resolved by final assessment
Inferred Conclusions
Low-pressure manual therapy combined with activity pacing may be beneficial for ME/CFS patients with post-exertional malaise who cannot tolerate conventional exercise rehabilitation
Kanshoho warrants formal evaluation in controlled clinical trials as a potential treatment approach for Long COVID/ME/CFS
Pharmacological management may not be necessary for all ME/CFS patients and may be safely discontinued in some cases
Remaining Questions
Does kanshoho specifically treat ME/CFS symptoms, or would other low-pressure manual therapies produce similar results?
What is the optimal frequency and duration of kanshoho treatment, and how many patients would need to be treated for one to achieve complete resolution?
What This Study Does Not Prove
This single case report cannot establish that kanshoho causes symptom improvement—it only documents that improvement occurred during treatment. The patient's recovery could be due to placebo effect, natural disease course, the activity pacing advice, discontinuation of sertraline, or a combination of factors. Controlled trials comparing kanshoho to sham treatment in larger patient populations would be needed to determine true efficacy.