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Patients with fibromyalgia can boost their strength
and improve certain parameters with weight-bearing exercise, researchers
from Finland have demonstrated.
Women with fibromyalgia completed a 21-week strength
training program and it was found to reduce their levels of depression
and fatigue, but pain levels
did not change.
- Researchers divided 21 women with fibromyalgia
into two groups.
- Eleven women went through the strength training
program and 10 received no special care.
- An additional 12 healthy women went through the
weight training program as "control" subjects.
About 90% of people with fibromyalgia are women.
Currently, it is standard treatment to use light exercise
or physical therapy, along with medication and psychological therapy,
as part of a comprehensive plan for treating fibromyalgia. While no studies
have found that exercise improves pain, it has been shown to help patients
function better, improve mood, and reduce fatigue.
Annals of Rheumatic Disease
2001; 60: 21-26
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