Abstract

Martinez-Amat, A, Hita-Contreras, F, Latorre-Roman, PA, Gutierrez-Lopez, MdlC, Garcia-Pinillos, F, and Martinez-Lopez, EJ. Association of the weekly practice of guided physical activity with the reduction of falls and symptoms of fibromyalgia in adult women. J Strength Cond Res 28(11): 3151-3159, 2014The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of weekly physical activity on the risk of falls and the impact of fibromyalgia (FM) symptoms on daily function in Spanish women. Fibromyalgia is a common widespread pain condition that has been linked to an increased risk of falling and a low amount of guided physical activity, defined as regular participation in moderate-intensity exercise. Before the development of fall-risk reduction interventions, it is essential to understand the context of falls and fall-related experiences in patients with FM. Ours was a descriptive longitudinal study, wherein 140 women participated, all aged 28-73 years and belonging to AFIXA (Asociacion Provincial de Fibromialgia y Sindrome de Fatiga Cronica), the Fibromyalgia Association of Jaen (Andalusia, Spain). The study took place during 2013; data were collected through fall diaries, interviews, and questionnaires. Results showed that weekly physical activity can explain up to 12% of the variance in the fear of falling and 18% of the number of falls per year in patients with FM. However, the weekly physical activity prediction against the perceived impact of FM yielded R-2 values below 10% in the 3 factors and in the total score of the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ-R). Inactive women were proven to have a significantly higher number of falls per year than active ones (1.86 +/- 1.46 vs. 0.69 +/- 0.43, p 0.001), but their fear of falling was similar (p > 0.05). In addition, physically active women had a significantly lower intensity in the symptoms of their condition (FIQ-R symptoms: 30.87 +/- 8.58 vs. 34.78 +/- 7.58 arbitrary units [a.u.], p = 0.014), and lower scores in the total score of the FIQ-R (54.33 +/- 21.50 vs. 65.19 +/- 19.27 a.u., p = 0.004). Results show that, with at least 1 hour per session of guided physical activity, a higher weekly number of sessions reduced the fear of falling in patients with FM and the total number of falls per year, and is associated with less severe symptoms (FIQ-R3).