Background & Aims
Introduction: The use of exercise in the treatment of fibromyalgia is widely discussed in the literature. One question that remains unanswered is whether there is a significant difference between the analgesia induced by different types of exercise at the same intensity. As such, we compared the analgesia induced by a forty-minute exercise session (resistance training vs. walking) in patients with fibromyalgia.
Methods
Methods: Experimental study approved by the Ethics Committee of the Universidade Federal de São Carlos São Carlos (report number: 58819722.0.0000.5504). We included patients with fibromyalgia, according to ACR-2016. Patients were divided into two groups (walking and resistance training) and underwent a 40-minute exercise session of moderate intensity. We compared (via t-test) the analgesia induced by different types of exercise before and after the exercise session using the temporal summation of pain test with a pressure algometer. Force-controlled mechanical stimulation was applied to the flexor digitorum muscle of the forearm in a series of short contacts (1 constant stimulus of 30 seconds followed by self-report of pain every 10 seconds). Repetitive stimulation was used to determine whether the temporal summation of deep muscle pain would be different after an exercise session.
Results
Results: The sample consisted of 17 women with similar age and widespread pain (p >0.5): walking (n=8; age 46.87±12.18 years) and resistance training (n=9, age 46.22±9.35 years). We observed insignificant differences (p >.05) in the analgesia induced by the different types of exercise (walking vs. resistance training) when comparing the temporal summation of the pain test, indicating that both exercises seem to have the same analgesic effect on pain after a forty-minute session.
Conclusions
Conclusion: Walking and resistance training produce similar responses to pain in fibromyalgia syndrome after a forty-minute session.
References
Bidonde J, Busch AJ, Schachter CL, Overend TJ, Kim SY, Góes SM, Boden C, Foulds HJ. Aerobic exercise training for adults with fibromyalgia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017 Jun 21;6(6):CD012700. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012700. PMID: 28636204; PMCID: PMC6481524.
Bidonde J, Busch AJ, Schachter CL, Webber SC, Musselman KE, Overend TJ, Góes SM, Dal Bello-Haas V, Boden C. Mixed exercise training for adults with fibromyalgia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 May 24;5(5):CD013340. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013340. PMID: 31124142; PMCID: PMC6931522.
Busch AJ, Webber SC, Richards RS, Bidonde J, Schachter CL, Schafer LA, Danyliw A, Sawant A, Dal Bello-Haas V, Rader T, Overend TJ. Resistance exercise training for fibromyalgia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Dec 20;2013(12):CD010884. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010884. PMID: 24362925; PMCID: PMC6544808.
Pontes-Silva A, Dibai-Filho AV, de Melo TS, Santos LM, de Souza MC, DeSantana JM, Avila MA. Effects of progressive intensity resistance training on the impact of fibromyalgia: protocol for a blinded randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2023 Oct 14;24(1):816. doi: 10.1186/s12891-023-06952-3. PMID: 37838712; PMCID: PMC10576880.
Couto N, Monteiro D, Cid L, Bento T. Effect of different types of exercise in adult subjects with fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. Sci Rep. 2022 Jun 20;12(1):10391. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-14213-x. PMID: 35725780; PMCID: PMC9209512.
Presenting Author
André Pontes-Silva
Poster Authors
André Pontes-Silva
PhD Student
UFSCar (Brazil)
Lead Author
Thayná Soares de Melo
undergrad PT student
UFSCar (Brazil)
Lead Author
Leticia Santos
undergrad PT student
UFSCar (Brazil)
Lead Author
Giovanna Castro
undergrad PT student
UFSCar (Brazil)
Lead Author
Isadora Barbosa
PT
UFSCar (Brazil)
Lead Author
Almir Vieira Dibai-Filho
Ph.D.
Federal University of Maranhão
Lead Author
Mariana Avila
Universidade Federal de São Carlos
Lead Author
Topics
- Specific Pain Conditions/Pain in Specific Populations: Fibromyalgia