The aim of the investigators study was to measure reductions in chronic pain in female patients with Fibromylgia comparing individual proprioceptive rehabilitation treatments with perceptual surfaces to a group exercises rehabilitation. Fibromyalgia is a generalized chronic pain condition that is usually accompanied by fatigue, sleep disturbance and psychological and cognitive alterations.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
88
Includes different types of exercises: low-impact to moderate aerobic training; walking fast in a circle, alternating with periods of going up and down the stairs (3 steps for 10 minutes) for a total of 20 consecutive minutes; posture exercises for the back and proprioceptive exercises for the trunk in the supine position to improve axial stability, including diaphragmatic breathing. The heart rate was monitored through the use of a heart rate monitor, which allowed not to exceed the threshold.
therapeutic system that is based on the interaction between the patient's back or painful area and a support surface, composed of small latex cones with various dimensions (height: 3-8 cm; base diameter: 2-4 cm) and elasticities. The inferior bases of these cones are applied to a rigid wood surface using elastic strips.
Change of Fibromyalgia Assessment Scale (FAS) from baseline to 12 weeks
It is a simple and rapidly implemented index, consisting of a pain map, called the Self-Assessment Pain Scale (SAPS) (in which the patient is asked to indicate how much pain he suffered in the previous week in 16 areas of the body, with scored from 0 to 3), and 2 scales (between 0 and 10) that evaluate fatigue and quality of sleep, scored from 0-10. The FAS allows physicians to obtain reliable information concerning the course of the disease and is sufficiently sensitive to alert them in case of deterioration.
Time frame: baseline, 4 weeks, 12 weeks
Change of Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) from baseline to 12 weeks
It comprises 3 sections-function, impact, and symptoms-combining to generate an overall score. The first section contains 10 sub items and focuses on the patient's ability to perform daily tasks that involve the large muscles (eg, cooking, cleaning, walking, shopping, homemaking, socializing, and mobility). The next 2 items ask patients to circle the number of days in the past week in which they felt good and the number of days that they missed work. The last 7 items assess the ability to do one's job, pain, fatigue, morning tiredness, stiffness, anxiety, and depression. The total score on the FIQ is calculated by adding the following 10 items: the physical function score, the number of days feeling good, the number of work days missed, the ability to do one's job, pain, fatigue, morning tiredness, stiffness, anxiety, and depression. The FIQ score ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 indicating the worst possible score due to Fibromylgia.
Time frame: baseline, 4 weeks, 12 weeks
Change of Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) from baseline to 12 weeks
It is a 20-item self-administered questionnaire that determines the difficulty in performing 8 daily activities (dressing and grooming, getting up, eating, walking, hygiene, reaching, ability to grip, and outside activities). For each item, patients are asked to rate the level of difficulty that they have experienced over the previous week in performing these activities on a 4-point scale from 0 (no difficulty) to 3 (unable to perform). The final HAQ score is the average score of the 8 categories, thus ranging from 0 to 3; higher scores reflect greater levels of disability.
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The control group did brief educational sessions.
Time frame: baseline, 4 weeks, 12 weeks