Aerobic exercise versus combined exercise therapy in women with fibromyalgia syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of supervised aerobic exercise (AE) and a combined program of supervised aerobic, muscle strengthening, and flexibility exercises (combined exercise [CE]) on important health outcomes in women with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SETTING Community-based supervised intervention. PARTICIPANTS Women (N=64) with a diagnosis of FMS according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria. INTERVENTION Participants were randomly allocated to 1 of 3 groups: supervised AE, supervised CE, or usual-care control. Exercise sessions were performed twice weekly (45-60min/session) for 24 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome measure was the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ). Exploratory outcome measures were the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), aerobic capacity (6-minute walk test), hand-grip strength, and range of motion in the shoulders and hips. RESULTS Compliance with both interventions was excellent, with women in the exercise groups attending more than 85% of sessions. A 14% to 15% improvement from baseline in total FIQ score was observed in the exercise groups (P≤.02) and was accompanied by decreases in BDI scores of 8.5 (P