Abstract
BackgroundIt is known that physical activity and muscular performance are reduced in fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome. This study aims to compare the performance of trunk muscles in women with FM and healthy controls and evaluate the correlation between trunk muscle strength and FM severity.MethodsForty-six patients with FM and 42 age- and body mass index-matched healthy housewives without FM were included in the FM and control groups, respectively. The Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) was used for the assessment of FM severity. The pain intensity was evaluated using the visual analogical scale (VAS). An isokinetic dynamometer was used to measure the isokinetic trunk muscle strength. The peak torque (PT) values were recorded. The psychological status of the patients was evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory.ResultsThere was no statistically significant difference in terms of age, BMI, and BDI scores in two groups (p > 0.05, for all). The isokinetic trunk extensor PT values were significantly lower in the FM group (p = 0.002 for 60°/s, and p < 0.001 for 90°/s and 120°/s) than control group. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between FIQ score and isokinetic extensor muscle parameters.ConclusionThe results indicate that trunk extensor muscles were significantly weaker in FM patients. Trunk extensor muscle strength decreased as FM severity increased in FM patients.
Highlights
It is known that physical activity and muscular performance are reduced in fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome
Educational status and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores were similar in the FM group and the control group, and no statistically significant differences were found between the groups (p > 0.05, for both)
The flexor peak torque (PT) values were lower in the FM group, but with no statistically significance compared to the control group (p > 0.05)
Summary
It is known that physical activity and muscular performance are reduced in fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome. This study aims to compare the performance of trunk muscles in women with FM and healthy controls and evaluate the correlation between trunk muscle strength and FM severity. Fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome is a disorder affecting 2 to 8% of the general population, characterized by widespread pain, often accompanied by fatigue, memory problems, and sleep architecture disturbances [1]. In Turkey, the prevalence of FM was determined 3.6% in women aged 20–64 [3]. The prevalence rises steadily with age, mostly affecting females aged 20 to 65 years [4]. FM prevalence was reported 31% among 65–80 years-old elderly adults, in another study from Turkey [5]. Abnormal central sensitization, reduced blood flow to muscles during exercise, increased muscle hypertonicity, localized muscle hypoxia, deposition of mucopolysaccharides within muscles, pathological alterations in the sympathetic system and glycolysis, and decreased ATP and phosphocreatine have been found to be related to FM [6,7,8,9]
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