Abstract
Objective
To evaluate the effect of swimming on pain, functional capacity, aerobic capacity,
and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia (FM).
Design
Randomized controlled trial.
Setting
Rheumatology outpatient clinics of a university hospital.
Participants
Women with FM (N=75; age range, 18–60y) randomly assigned to a swimming group (SG)
(n=39) or a walking group (WG) (n=36).
Intervention
The SG performed 50 minutes of swimming 3 times a week for 12 weeks, with a heart
rate at 11 beats under the anaerobic threshold. The WG performed walking with a heart
rate at the anaerobic threshold, with the same duration and frequency as the SG.
Main Outcome Measures
Participants were evaluated before the exercise protocols (t0), at 6 weeks (t6), and
at 12 weeks (t12) after the onset of the protocols. The primary outcome measure was
the visual analog scale for pain. The secondary measurements were the Fibromyalgia
Impact Questionnaire and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey
for quality of life; a spiroergometric test for cardiorespiratory variables; and the
timed Up & Go test for functional performance.
Results
Patients in both groups experienced improvement in pain after the 12-week program,
with no difference between groups (P=.658). The same results were found regarding functional capacity and quality of life.
Moreover, no statistical difference between groups was found regarding aerobic capacity
over time.
Conclusions
Swimming, like walking, is an effective method for reducing pain and improving both
functional capacity and quality of life in patients with FM.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
FIQ (Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire), FM (fibromyalgia), SF-36 (Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey), SG (swimming group), VAS (visual analog scale), Vo2peak (peak oxygen consumption), WG (walking group)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 20, 2016
Footnotes
Supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation (grant no. 2010/51238-9).
Clinical Trial Registration No.: NCT01547195.
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
