Benefits of adding stretching to a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise programme in women with fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effects of adding stretching to a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise programme in women with fibromyalgia. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Subjects: Sixty-four female patients who were diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome based on the American College of Rheumatology criteria were recruited (mean age: 54.27 ± 6.94 years). Interventions: The control group ( n = 32) underwent supervised moderate-intensity cycling (50%–70% of the age-predicted maximum heart rate) three times per week for 12 weeks. The experimental group ( n = 32) underwent the same exercise programme plus a stretching programme once per week for 12 weeks. Main measures: The main measures of this study were sleep quality assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the impact of fibromyalgia on quality of life assessed by the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, and pain perception assessed by the visual analogue scale at baseline, after 4 weeks, and after 12 weeks. Results: The experimental group experienced significant improvements at 4-week measure compared with control group: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index ( P < 0.001); Epworth Sleepiness Scale ( P = 0.002); Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (0.93 ± 7.39, P < 0.001); and visual analogue scale (0.52 ± 0.05, P < 0.001). Also at 12-week measure, experimental group experienced significant improvements compared with control group: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index ( P < 0.001), Epworth Sleepiness Scale ( P < 0.001); Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (1.15 ± 9.11, P < 0.001); and visual analogue scale (0.81 ± 0.62, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Adding stretching to a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise programme increased sleep quality, decreased the impact of fibromyalgia on the quality of life, and reduced pain compared with just a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise programme in our sample of women with fibromyalgia.

Effect of Exercise Interventions on Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

“…Therefore, some stretching of the extremities and trunk muscles prior to the formal exercise program is considered a helpful supplement. 62 …”

Efeitos do exercício resistido e do exercício aeróbico em pessoas com síndrome de fibromialgia: uma revisão sistemática de ensaios clínicos randomizados

“…Responses in sleep performance and depression and anxiety of individuals were also found in the study by Gómez-Hernández et al 24 , positive sleep responses were found in the face of moderate intensity cycling and Sañudo et al 18 , found reductions in anxiety and depression levels from aerobic exercises that included walking and running.…”

“…Table 1 shows the score obtained by the selected studies in the critical review form of Law et al 7 . This instrument aims to classify the quality of the studies [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] , originally having 15 questions. However, item 4 does not score, because it is only to distinguish the type of study.…”

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy ameliorates pain in overweight or obese patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia

“…In another study, Korean women (mean age, 47 years) with a VAS score of 8.8 and FIQ score of 80 were treated with transcranial direct current stimulation; the treatment reversed perceived pain to 6 (VAS score) and decreased the FIQ score to 70 (19). Notably, no significant differences in VAS or FIQ scores were observed in Spanish women (mean age, 53 years) treated with low-intensity physical activity programs for 12 weeks (20); however, a moderate-intense aerobic exercise program effectively reduced pain to 5.7 and the FIQ score to 55 (21). In Israel, a group of women (mean age, 50 years), with an average BMI of 27, were treated with HBOT (22).…”