A Functional Exercise Program Improves Pain and Health Related Quality of Life in Patients With Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized mainly by chronic generalized pain that affects the physical fitness and the functional capacity of patients. There is growing evidence of the benefits of exercise to improve fibromyalgia symptoms, making these interventions part of the therapeutic arsenal. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a functional exercise program in reducing pain, improving functional capacity, increasing muscle strength, improving flexibility, balance and quality of life of patients with fibromyalgia. METHODS: This was a randomized controlled trial with blind evaluator. 82 female patients with fibromyalgia were included, aged between 18 and 65 years, randomized into two groups, intervention and control. The intervention group performed functional physical training for 45 minutes twice a week for 14 weeks. The control group performed stretching exercises with the same duration and frequency. The evaluation instruments were: Visual Analog Scale for pain evaluation; Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, to evaluate health-related quality of life; Time-up and go test for functional performance assessment; 1Repetitium Maximum, for evaluation of muscle strength; sit and reach test for the assessment of flexibility; Berg Balance Scale, to assess balance; and Short Form-36 to assess overall quality of life. In addition, the amount of analgesics used during the intervention period was evaluated.

Inclusion criteria

• Female sex
• Classification of fibromyalgia based on the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology
• Age 18 to 65 years;
• Pain intensity between 4 and 8cm on a visual analog scale ranging from 0 to 10cm
• Stable medication for at least three months

Exclusion criteria

• Uncontrolled cardiorespiratory disease
• Health condition for which physical exercise was contraindicated
• Serious psychiatric disorder
• Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
• Inflammatory rheumatic disease
• History of regular physical exercise (30min, 3 times a week) in the previous 3 months