Exploring the Relationship between Fibromyalgia-Related Fatigue, Physical Activity, and Quality of Life

Abstract

The symptoms of fibromyalgia are varied, including general muscle pain and pain at specific points (also called tender points), excessive fatigue, anxiety, depression, and some psychological problems that can have a negative impact on quality of life. Physical activity is a widely used option by health professionals to alleviate the effects of this syndrome. However, there is no clear information on the possible mediating role of physical activity in the relationship between fibromyalgia-related fatigue and quality of life. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the relationship between fibromyalgia-related fatigue and quality of life, and to investigate the mediating role of physical activity in patients with this syndrome. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 237 Portuguese women aged 28 to 75 years (M = 49.12; SD ± 8.87) and 117 Brazilian women aged 20 to 69 years (M = 46.72; SD ± 8.38) were recruited to participate in this study. These patients completed three valid and reliable questionnaires related to the assessment of fibromyalgia-related fatigue (MDF-Fibro-17), physical activity (IPAQ), and quality of life (SF-36). Results: Both samples had scores above the midpoint for all dimensions of fibromyalgia-related fatigue and scores below the midpoint for quality of life. Physical activity had no mediating effect in either sample, as the total indirect effect was not significant. Conclusions: Physical activity does not mediate the relationship between fatigue and quality of life. However, the results also show that the fatigue dimensions associated with fibromyalgia had a negative and significant association with physical and mental health indicators in both samples. Thus, patients with FM with higher scores on fatigue-related symptoms might suffer more from physical and mental health, both of which are related to quality of life.

Physical activity levels among people with fibromyalgia: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…All studies were cross‐sectional. One study (Alvarez et al., 2022) reported physical levels separately for two subgroups, specifically Portuguese and Brazilian PwF. Across the 22 unique studies, including 23 PA levels, there were 5997 (5956 women) PwF and the mean age ranged from 39.5 (Lazaridou et al., 2020) to 68.1 (Cancela et al., 2011) years with a median of 44 years.…”

“…At the full-text review stage, 70 articles were considered and 47 were subsequently excluded (see Figure 1 for the flow chart and Supporting Information S2 for the list of excluded studies with reasons). Twenty-two studies (Alvarez et al, 2022;Breda et al, 2013;Cancela et al, 2011;Cerón-Lorente et al, 2018;Correa-Rodríguez et al, 2019;Ellingson et al, 2012;Homann et al, 2011;Jones et al, 2015;Joustra et al, 2018;Kaleth et al, 2010Kaleth et al, , 2014Kingsbury et al, 2020;Lazaridou et al, 2020;López-Roig et al, 2016;Mannerkorpi & Hernelid, 2005;McLoughlin et al, 2011;Merriwether et al, 2018;Munguía-Izquierdo et al, 2021;Özköslü et al, 2017;Ruiz et al, 2013;Segura-Jiménez et al, 2017;Sener et al, 2016) were included in the main analyses, and one study (Segura-Jiménez et al, 2013) with an overlap in data with another study (Segura-Jiménez et al, 2017) was only included in the direct comparison of objective and subjective physical activity levels. Full details of the 22 included studies in the main analyses are summarised in Table 1.…”

“…Of the studies reporting data, the mean BMI at the study level ranged from 25.5 (Mcloughlin et al., 2011) to 52.5 (Kaleth et al., 2010) with a median of 28.5. The Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire score (range = 0–100) ranged from 45.1 (Ellingson et al., 2012) to 66.8 (Kaleth et al., 2014) with a median of 60.2 and the illness duration from 8.6 (Alvarez et al., 2022) to 18.0 (López‐Roig et al., 2016) years with a median of 14.5 years. Seven studies reported general population control data.…”

Mediation Effect of Pain on the Relationship between Kinesiophobia and Postural Control: Comparison and Correlations in Individuals with Fibromyalgia Syndrome and Asymptomatic Individuals—A Cross-Sectional Study

“…As greater rates of fatigue are seen in individuals with FM, this can lead to decreased muscular endurance and diminished muscle force and torque-generating capacity [ 48 ]. The postural control in individuals with FM is greatly disturbed by muscle fatigue due to (a) altered recruitment patterns, (b) altered integrated peripheral to central nervous system afferents, and (c) disturbed sensory information [ 49 ]. Subjects with greater TSK scores had greater A-P, M-L, and ellipse area displacements in the single-limb stance testing on nondominant and dominant legs.…”

What Concept of Manual Therapy Is More Effective to Improve Health Status in Women with Fibromyalgia Syndrome? A Study Protocol with Preliminary Results

“…The international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) will be used to assess physical activity levels [36]. The questionnaire consists of a total of seven questions, related to activities performed in the last seven days prior to the application of the questionnaire.…”