Active stretching exercises in fibromyalgia patients: effects on symptoms and on quality of life

Abstract

Fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic widespread pain, painful sensitivity at tender points and associated symptoms, bearing a negative impact in the quality of life. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of active stretching exercises on fibromyalgia symptoms (pain, anxiety, depression and sleep disturbance), flexibility and quality of life. Fourty-two women, mean age 49.7 years old and classified as fibromyalgia patients following the American College of Rheumatology criteria, took part in the study. The evaluations, before and after treatment, were done by means of: pain by VAS; tender points pain threshold by a Fischer dolorimeter (TP); flexibility by the fingertip-to-floor test (FTF); quality of life by the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ); anxiety by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
(STAI); sleep quality by the Post Sleep Inventory (PSI); and depression by the Beck scale. The treatment consisted in 10 50-minute stretching exercise sessions once a week. The Student t-test, with α=0.05, showed statistical significant improvement in VAS (p<0.001), FTF (p<0.001), FIQ (p<0.001), STAI (p=0.05), PSI (p=0.02), Beck scale (p<0.001), and TP (p<0.001), to the exception of the occipital tender point. Stretching exercises thus improved all studied symptoms and the quality of life of fibromyalgic patients.