Pain in fibromyalgia is not worsened by regular moderate exercise

 Exercise does not worsen the pain associated with fibromyalgia and may even reduce it over time says a study published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Volunteers consisted of 170 people with fibromyalgia who received exercise prescriptions and completed physical activity assessments at three points in the 36-week study.

Those who took moderate intensity exercise (light jogging or brisk walking for 20 minutes a day) for at least 12 weeks showed greater improvements in clinical symptoms compared to people who were unable to achieve similar levels of physical activity. And it improved levels of fatigue, sleeping difficulties and did not worsen pain symptoms.

“For many people with fibromyalgia, they will exercise for a week or two and then start hurting and think that exercise is aggravating their pain, so they stop exercising,” Dr Dennis Ang says. “We hope that our findings will help reduce patients’ fear and reassure them that sustained exercise will improve their overall health and reduce their symptoms without worsening their pain.”