To help guard against the pain syndrome fibromyalgia, it is best to maintain a healthy weight and stay active.
Fibromyalgia is a debilitating pain syndrome characterised by chronic pain, often in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms and legs. Fatigue, depressed mood, and difficulty in thinking and sleeping are other common symptoms. To examine the association between leisure time physical exercises, body mass index (BMI) and risk of fibromyalgia, researchers in Norway followed 15,990 fibromyalgia-free women for 11 years. Physical exercise (frequency, duration, and intensity) and BMI of the participants was assessed to explore the risk of fibromyalgia.
During the follow-up period, 380 women developed fibromyalgia. It was found that overweight and obese women had a 60 percent to 70 percent higher risk of developing fibromyalgia over the study period, compared to their normal-weight counterparts. Women who exercised four or more times a week had a 30 percent lower risk of developing fibromyalgia compared to inactive women while women who exercised two or more hours a week had a 23 percent lower risk of the pain syndrome.
The researchers recommend that measures aimed at reducing the incidence of fibromyalgia should emphasise the importance of regular exercise and the maintenance of normal body weight.
Fibromyalgia is a debilitating pain syndrome characterised by chronic pain, often in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms and legs. Fatigue, depressed mood, and difficulty in thinking and sleeping are other common symptoms. To examine the association between leisure time physical exercises, body mass index (BMI) and risk of fibromyalgia, researchers in Norway followed 15,990 fibromyalgia-free women for 11 years. Physical exercise (frequency, duration, and intensity) and BMI of the participants was assessed to explore the risk of fibromyalgia.
During the follow-up period, 380 women developed fibromyalgia. It was found that overweight and obese women had a 60 percent to 70 percent higher risk of developing fibromyalgia over the study period, compared to their normal-weight counterparts. Women who exercised four or more times a week had a 30 percent lower risk of developing fibromyalgia compared to inactive women while women who exercised two or more hours a week had a 23 percent lower risk of the pain syndrome.
The researchers recommend that measures aimed at reducing the incidence of fibromyalgia should emphasise the importance of regular exercise and the maintenance of normal body weight.