People who suffer from fibromyalgia and who integrate physical activity into their daily lives feel less pain as a result of their disease.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and multiple tender points.
Kevin Fontaine, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, worked with a team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
The team recruited 84 people who have suffered from fibromyalgia for several years to participate in this study. It is the first of its kind on the effects of physical activity on fibromyalgia. None of the study participants were that physically active before.
One group had to do at least 30 minutes of activity per day and could choose the activities. It did not have to be a specific exercise program.
It could simply be taking the stairs instead of the elevator, getting off one stop earlier on the bus or subway and walking the rest of the way. Participants could also do some gardening or domestic chores.
Another group did no exercise at all.
People in the active group felt a 35% reduction in their pain symptoms.
Fontaine said, "The nature of fibromyalgia’s symptoms, the body pain and fatigue, make it hard for people with this malady to participate in traditional exercise. We’ve shown that LPA (lifestyle physical activity) can help them to get at least a little more physically active, and that this seems to help improve their symptoms".