Symptoms in women with fibromyalgia after performing physical activity: the role of pain catastrophizing and disease impact

Abstract

Introduction Walking is an efective treatment for symptoms’ management in patients with fbromyalgia. However, despite its benefts, fbromyalgia patients face a variety of obstacles that result in reduced ability to sustain physical exercise. The main goal of the study was to analyze the role of pain catastrophizing and fbromyalgia impact in the relationship between regular walking behavior and pain and fatigue experienced after a laboratory walking test. Method The study has an observational analytical laboratory design. A total of 100 women were contacted by the research team. Seventy-six women diagnosed with fbromyalgia aged 18 years and older (mean age=55.05, SD=7.69) participated. Results Signifcant correlations were found among regular walking behavior, pain catastrophizing, impact of fbromyalgia, pain intensity after walking, and fatigue intensity after walking. The serial multiple mediation analyses confrmed that pain catastrophizing and impact of fbromyalgia mediated the relationship between regular walking behavior and the level of pain (beta B=0.044, 95% CI=[0.01–0.012]) and fatigue (beta B=0.028, 95% CI=[0.01–0.08]) after the laboratory walking test. Also, the participants that walked less regularly experienced more pain and fatigue after the 6-Minute Walk Test. Conclusions Considering cognitive variables alongside the impact of fbromyalgia will help understand the inhibitors of engaging in physical activity. Therapeutic walking programs must be tailored to patients with fbromyalgia to reduce pain and fatigue related to physical activity and to promote better functioning and quality of life.