Women with fibromyalgia may experience significantly improved daily function and symptom relief after taking part in a program that includes walking, strength training and stretching, according to an article published in Archives of Internal Medicine (JAMA/Archives), November 12th issue. When the program is combined with education about managing the disease the benefits are even better, explain the researchers.
About 3.4% of women and 0.5% of men in the USA are affected by fibromyalgia, the authors explain. A fibromyalgia patient typically experiences chronic pain throughout his/her body for at least three months, as well as specific sites of tenderness. The causes and mechanisms of fibromyalgia are poorly understood.
The researchers write “Even with the recent approval of pregabalin by the Food and Drug Administration to treat fibromyalgia symptoms, pharmacotherapy is often insufficient to resolve persistent symptoms or improve functional limitations and quality of life.”
Daniel S. Rooks, Sc.D., previously at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and now with Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., and team recruited 207 women who were taking drugs for fibromyalgia between 2002-2004.
The women were randomly assigned to four groups for a period of 16 weeks׃
Group 1 – 51 women
They performed just aerobic and flexibility exercises
Group 2 – 51 women
They performed aerobic and strength training exercises
Group 3 – 50 women
They received a self-help course on managing fibromyalgia
Group 4 – 55 women
They did aerobic and strength training, as well as receiving the self-help course on managing fibromyalgia
The exercise groups met twice a week – their workouts gradually become longer and more intense, with instructions to do a third day a week of exercise on their own.
135 women completed the study and were assessed six-months later. The assessment consisted of two self-assessment questionnaires and one performance test.
Women in Groups 3 and 4 had the most improvement in their physical function, with those in Group 4 doing better than those in Group 3.
The researchers wrote “Social function, mental health, fatigue, depression and self-efficacy also improved. The beneficial effect on physical function of exercise alone and in combination with education persisted at six months.”
“The present study suggests that progressive walking, simple strength training movements and stretching activities are effective at improving physical, emotional and social function, key symptoms and self-efficacy in women with fibromyalgia who are being actively treated with medication. Furthermore, the benefits of exercise are enhanced when combined with targeted self-management education, and improvements in physical function continue for six months after completion of the intervention. Our findings suggest the need for inclusion of appropriate exercise and patient education in the treatment of individuals with fibromyalgia,” the authors wrote.
“Group Exercise, Education, and Combination Self-management in Women With Fibromyalgia – A Randomized Trial ”
Daniel S. Rooks, ScD; Shiva Gautam, PhD; Matthew Romeling, BS; Martha L. Cross, BS; Diana Stratigakis, BA; Brittany Evans, BS; Don L. Goldenberg, MD; Maura D. Iversen, DPT, SD, MPH; Jeffrey N. Katz, MD, MS
Arch Intern Med. 2007;167(20):2192-2200.
Written by׃ Christian Nordqvist