Exercise good for fibromyalgia

A recent article published in The Journal of Pain and led by researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, repots that adolescents with fibromyalgia and are physically active report lower levels of pain and disability.

(Fibromyalgia is a condition characterised by widespread pain and heightened response to pressure).

The research objectives were to measure physical activity levels in adolescents with JPFS, examine differences and characteristics of high and low activity subjects, and explore the impact of psychiatric disorders on physical activity.

Results showed that adolescents with JPFS did not engage in physical activities and aerobic exercise at levels recommended by their physicians. Low levels of exercise in these patients are troubling to clinicians who view exercise as a major component for improved pain management.

In the small number of patients who maintained very high levels of physical exercise, the reported pain levels were lower than the inactive group, perhaps due to exercising, and their parents reported they had lower depressive symptoms and disability than inactive subjects.