Health education home-based program in females with fibromyalgia: A pilot study

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the long- and short-term effects of a multimodal program, specifically designed to be carried out by fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients themselves, after a 12-week period of learning. Thirty female FMS patients volunteered for the study. The learning phase consisted on twelve weekly sessions of an hour, combining muscular resistance and flexibility exercises with techniques of breathing and relaxing, plus a half-hour incentive physiotherapy session. Flexibility, illness impact and pain were assessed at the beginning of the study, at the end of the learning phase and six months afterwards (follow-up). Twenty-one patients completed the programme. At the end of the learning phase, the improvement in the patients' physical condition was significant, as was the impact of the illness. Thirty-three percent of the patients continued training during the follow-up period and kept up the improvements achieved. The self-controlled multimodal programme was efficient in improving flexibility and reducing the impact of the illness in women fibromyalgia patients. However, adherence was poor when patients had to exercise on their own.

Effects of Non-Pharmacological Treatment on Pain, Flexibility, Balance and Quality of Life in Women with Fibromyalgia: A Randomised Clinical Trial

“…The authors demonstrated how flexibility exercises with breathing and relaxation techniques, in addition to active exercises, improved flexibility and reduced the impact of the disease. We consider it important to highlight that the duration of the treatment was longer in the studies conducted by Valencia et al [49], Jones et al [50] and Ayan et al [51] than in our study, although the results related to flexibility coincide.…”

“…In addition, Ayan et al [51] evaluated the long-and short-term effects of a multimodal programme (one hour every week for 3 months) combining muscular endurance and flexibility exercises with breathing and relaxation techniques plus a half-hour active exercise session. The sample consisted of 21 women with fibromyalgia that were assessed at baseline, post treatment and at 6 months of follow-up after the end of treatment.…”

The Nitric oxide/CGMP/KATP pathway mediates systemic and central antinociception induced by resistance exercise in rats

“…Studies have demonstrated that RE pro-duces a significant reduction of pain and disability in patients with lower back pain, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia [5][6][7]. Although this effect is well defined, few of the mechanisms underlying the effect have been investigated.…”

Acute Resistance Exercise Induces Antinociception by Activation of the Endocannabinoid System in Rats

“…2–4 Furthermore, RE can potentially counteract the functional limitations and pain symptoms seen in patients with musculoskeletal disorders such as lateral epicondylosis, fibromyalgia and patellar tendinopathy. 5,6 Harts et al also demonstrated that a RE program was efficient in producing a better quality of life, with a consequent reduction of pain symptoms in patients with chronic low back pain. 7 …”