Objective. To our knowledge, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on fibromyalgia (FM) patients has not been studied before. FM patients often experience clinical impairment with stress. The aim of this study was to determine whether severity of FM increases because of confinement by the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. This prospective study includes patients from the Combined Index of Severity of Fibromyalgia (ICAF) cohort who met the 2010 ACR FM criteria. In this cohort, all patients have a periodical evaluation of their quality of life through two questionnaires, the ICAF, which assesses the ability to perform daily living activities, anxiety and depression, and through the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), which assesses overall change after a therapeutical intervention. Pre- and post-confinement measurements were analysed. Inferential statistical analysis and ANOVA for repeated measurements were used. Results. A total of 93 patients received a phone consultation, (95.5% females), mean (SD) age of 48.23 (8.38) years. Four patients were excluded as presenting COVID-19 and 51 (57%) completed the post-confinement ICAF. Following confinement, 25 (49%) patients got worse (group-worse) and 26 (51%) patients experienced no change or improved (group-stable). Comparisons between pre- and post-confinement ICAF did not show significant differences in both groups. Passive coping was significantly different in group-worse in pre-confinement evaluation. In the 80% of patients with passive coping predominance there were no changes in coping strategy. Conclusion. No clinical impairment due to COVID-19 confinement occurred. The perceived worsening among FM patients relies primarily on how patients cope with their disease, without a real impact on clinical manifestations.

Objective. To examine the feasibility of a home-based, video therapeutic exercise program on pain, fatigue, self-efficacy, and health status in fibromyalgia patients. Methods. Nine individuals who were previously diagnosed with fibromyalgia completed the study (out of an initial pool of 31). Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a group who received a home-based therapeutic exercise video and a control group who continued to undergo their current standard of care or "treatment-as-usual." The video group was instructed to conduct the exercises as prescribed in the 42-minute video at least 3 times per week for 4 weeks. The treatment-as-usual control group was instructed to continue to undergo their current standard-of-care and to not begin any new treatments during that time. Instruments measuring self-efficacy, pain, fatigue, self-rated health status and health distress were administered at baseline and 4 weeks. Results. None of the variables analyzed showed a significant change between the treatment and control groups over the course of the 4-week study. Conclusion. This study was not sufficiently powered to detect differences between the two groups. However, several of the treatment group participants subjectively indicated that they found the exercises to be helpful in the management of their fibromyalgia symptoms and the program did not exacerbate any of their symptoms. With this information, it appears that patients are able to tolerate the treatment and are able to complete the outcome measures. Between-group clinical outcomes will now need to be assessed in a larger clinical trial.

Fibromyalgia is an increasingly common, chronic pain disorder effecting an estimated three to six million people in the United States. This study used a descriptive correlational design to identify the interventions used most frequently by people with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FS) to relieve symptoms, determine the quality of life (QOL) in people with FS, and to examine if a relationship exists between interventions and quality of life. Data were collected from a sample of 49 people with FS with 35 subjects responding to the questionnaire. The questionnaire included a 9 item section on demographic information, a 16 item section on interventions utilized to relieve FS symptoms, and a 35 item quality of life (QOL) scale. The QOL scale included subscales on physical well-being, psychological well-being, social well-being, and spiritual wellbeing. Eighty two percent of the respondents were educated regarding FS and the majority of people utilized walking (74.3%) and support groups (74.3%) most frequently to relieve FS symptoms. The mean overall QOL score, out of a possible 350 (highest QOL) was 152.40. The overall mean for each subscale was 33 .94 out of a total possible 100 for physical well-being, 48.51 out of 100 for psychological well-being, 31.31 out of 80 for social well-being, and 38.63 out of 70 for spiritual well-being. No correlation was found to exist between the total number of interventions utilized to relieve FS symptoms and QOL. Several interventions: aerobics, stretching/flexibility, use of no medications, use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, use of relaxation techniques, and use of counseling had significant influence on quality of life. Length of time since diagnosis, marital status, amount of education, work status, and children also had significant influence on quality of life. Identifying the interventions used most frequently to relieve FS symptoms, the quality of life in people with FS, and the correlation that exist between interventions and quality of life, can lead to a better sense of direction in beginning appropriate management of FS.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder characterized by multiple symptoms including severe fatigue, headache, muscle pain, cognitive dysfunction, and paresthesias. Up to 81% of patients with fibromyalgia (FM) also suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The objectives of this study were: 1) to evaluate the effect of a 4-week excitotoxin additive free diet on symptoms of fibromyalgia (FM) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and then further, to use a randomized double blind crossover challenge to determine: 2) whether FM symptoms would return more frequently when subjects were challenged with MSG as compared to placebo, and 3) whether IBS symptoms returned upon MSG challenge more frequently than placebo. Subjects were recruited from the Portland, OR area, and attended a 2-hour group diet training session and individual clinic appointment before starting a one-month excitotoxin additive free diet. At the end of the month, subjects reporting greater than 30% symptom improvement went onto a 2-week double blind crossover challenge period where they were randomized to receive either MSG in juice for 3 days or placebo for 3 days. The following week they received whatever they did not receive the first week. Eighty-four percent of those who finished the diet reported >30% symptom improvement and pre-post diet analysis demonstrated highly significant difference scores for all major outcome measures. Total symptom scores (11.4, p<0.0001), fibromyalgia impact questionnaire-revised scores (FIQR) (22, p<0.0001), and IBS quality of life (IBS-QOL) questionnaire scores (11, p<0.0001) were all significantly reduced, as were visual analog pain (VAS) change scores for FM (5.4, p<0.0001) and IBS (4.6, p<0.0001). Challenge results demonstrated that diet responders got significantly worse when challenged with MSG as compared to placebo in most measures (total symptom score, p<0.02; FIQR, p<0.03; and IBS-QOL, p<0.05). VAS for IBS and FM both worsened, but to a lesser degree (mean change of 2.1 (p<0.19) and 2.5 (p<0.07) respectively). The majority of responders were still following the diet at 2 months post study which suggests feasibility and benefit. Results suggest that the excitotoxin additive free dietary intervention may provide significant symptom relief equal to or greater than current pharmacological strategies for fibromyalgia patients with IBS.

Introdução: o método Rolfing® de Integração Estrutural é procedimento de integração da estrutura corporal humana, que considera os aspectos físicos, emocionais, mentais, espirituais e sociais do indivíduo. Consiste em dez intervenções manuais profundas (liberação miofascial) aplicadas na estrutura elástica do tecido conjuntivo frouxo (miofáscia) e em reeducação dos movimentos. Objetivos: verificar o efeito do método Rolfing® no tratamento de doentes fibromiálgicos quanto às modificações nas diversas partes da estrutura física e a sua eficácia no alívio da dor e do cansaço, na disposição para executar atividades diárias durante períodos prolongados, qualidade do sono, estados de ansiedade e de depressão, e autoconhecimento por meio da identificação das sensações e da modificação da imagem corporal. Casuística e métodos: trinta pacientes do Centro de Dor da Clínica Neurológica do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo foram submetidos a dez sessões de Rolfing® e mantiveram o tratamento ambulatorial de rotina. Todos foram avaliados de acordo com a Escala Analógica Numérica Verbal de Dor, o Inventário de Depressão Beck, o Inventário de Ansiedade Beck, o Gráfico de Apreciação do Próprio Corpo, o Gráfico de Sintomas e o Questionário Experimental, aplicados durante a entrevista inicial, na última sessão e três meses após o término da aplicação do método. Foram quantificadas a intensidade e a frequência da ocorrência de dor, a disposição, as limitações físicas, a qualidade do sono e o resultado do tratamento. Conclusão: a maioria dos doentes tratados apresentou melhora da condição inicial e esta correlacionou-se com a intervenção do método Rolfing®. / Introduction: The Structural Integration Rolfing® is a method which considers the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and social aspects of the individual. It consists of a series of ten sessions of deep manual therapy (myofascial release) applied to the elastic structure of the loose connective tissue (myofascial) of the body and also of a reeducation of movements. Objectives: to verify the impact of the Rolfing® method in the modification of the different parts of the physical structure of fibromyalgic patients and the treatment of pain, and improvement of fatigue, disposition to carry out prolonged daily tasks, sleep, stress levels, depression and self-awareness. Patients and methods: thirty patients were treated with ten sessions of Rolfing® at the Pain Center of the Neurological Clinic of the Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo while maintaining their previous routine ambulatory treatment. Verbal Numerical Analogic Pain Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Graphic for Appreciation of the Own Body, Graphic of Symptoms and Experimental Questionnaire were all used for the evaluation of the patients, before, at the end of and three months after the end of the treatment. The intensity and frequency of pain episodes, disposition, physical limitations, quality of sleep, anxiety and depression were analysed. Conclusions: the Structural Integration Rolfing® method improved the clinical condition and the quality of life of the majority of the patients treated.

No description available.

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) and Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) are primarily womens syndromes. Both syndromes are highly contested within the biomedical and scientific communities and within the general population. Because there is no apparent cause for the syndromes and no available treatment, women living with FMS and/or CFIDS must live with difficult and disabling symptoms. <p>This research also analyzes the metaphors used in the scientific and biomedical literature to describe the same symptoms as listed above. A comparison is drawn between this analysis and that focused on the womens use of metaphors. It is found that although many of the metaphors are the same, they differ in discursive employment. Environmental metaphors, along with metaphors of fracture, harm and productivity are used by the research participants with a very different intent than how the same metaphors are used in the biomedical literature. The women used the metaphors to reveal the ways in which their symptoms are influenced by the social and cultural forces in their everyday lives. The biomedical and scientific use of metaphors reinforced the highly contested view that the symptoms are influenced more by individual psychological and emotional deficiencies than by broader structural forces.

Fibromyalgi är en kronisk sjukdom som många gånger varit ifrågasatt som diagnos. Sjukdomen medför kronisk och utbredd smärta, fatigue, sömnstörningar och koncentrationssvårigheter. Syftet var att beskriva upplevelser av att leva med fibromyalgi. Metoden som använts var en litteraturöversikt baserad på tretton kvalitativa vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultatartiklarna sammanställdes och redovisades i fyra kategorier: En omedgörlig kropp, Ett förändrat vardagsliv, Brist på respekt och stöd från omgivningen och Acceptera och lära sig leva med sin sjukdom. Resultatet visade att sjukdomen påverkade den drabbades liv på många olika sätt. Att leva med fibromyalgi innebar en livsförändring där sjukdomen begränsade det vardagliga livet. De drabbade hade inte bara sin kropp och sina symtom att kämpa emot, många var även tvungna att kämpa för att bli accepterade och trodda av sin omgivning. Slutsatsen var att det fanns en ständig kamp där de drabbade behövde få bekräftelse och känna att bland annat anhöriga och vårdpersonal tog dem på allvar. Det krävs uppmuntran och stöttning från vårdpersonalen för att personer med fibromyalgi ska prata om sina känslor och upplevelser. På detta sätt kan personen uppnå välbefinnande. / Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease that often has been questioned as a diagnosis. The disease causes chronic and widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances and concentration difficulties. The aim was to describe experiences of living with fibromyalgia. The method used was a literature study based on thirteen qualitative scientific articles. The articles used in the result were compiled and presented in four categories: An intransigent body, A changed life, Lack of respect and support from the surroundings and To accept and learn how to live with the illness. The result showed that fibromyalgia affected the lives of the persons in many different ways. Living with fibromyalgia was a life-change in which the disease limited the everyday life. The persons didn’t only fight against the symptoms, but were even forced to fight to be accepted and trusted by their surroundings. The conclusion that can be drawn is that there was a continuous struggle in which the persons had to obtain confirmation and to know that their families and caregivers took them seriously. Encouragement and support from the caregivers is needed in order to help the patient so that he or she can achieve well-being.

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) and Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) are primarily womens syndromes. Both syndromes are highly contested within the biomedical and scientific communities and within the general population. Because there is no apparent cause for the syndromes and no available treatment, women living with FMS and/or CFIDS must live with difficult and disabling symptoms. <p>This research also analyzes the metaphors used in the scientific and biomedical literature to describe the same symptoms as listed above. A comparison is drawn between this analysis and that focused on the womens use of metaphors. It is found that although many of the metaphors are the same, they differ in discursive employment. Environmental metaphors, along with metaphors of fracture, harm and productivity are used by the research participants with a very different intent than how the same metaphors are used in the biomedical literature. The women used the metaphors to reveal the ways in which their symptoms are influenced by the social and cultural forces in their everyday lives. The biomedical and scientific use of metaphors reinforced the highly contested view that the symptoms are influenced more by individual psychological and emotional deficiencies than by broader structural forces.