Spanish Unviversity studies a Intervention for Self-regulation to Physical Exercise in People With Fibromyalgia
Photo by Jonathan Borba
Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche with collaboration with Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain is starting a new clinical trial of Intervention for Self-regulation to Physical Exercise in People With Fibromyalgia.
This work is part of a broader research with women with fibromyalgia. The aim of this study is to establish the effectiveness of implementation intentions to manage the preference for avoiding pain and fatigue and stop walking exercise, versus to maintain the approximate behavior (walking), taking into account high and low pain catastrophizing conditions.
Fibromyalgia is a widespread and diffuse musculoskeletal chronic pain problem not associated with inflammatory or degenerative changes, often accompanied by fatigue and sleep problems, in addition to anxiety, depression and cognitive dysfunction. Its prevalence in Europe for adults is estimated at 2.5% with a higher proportion of women. The treatment incorporates physical activity and exercise as one of its therapeutic aims has shown positive effects on health outcomes.However, it has been reported that women with fibromyalgia are less active than others with similar socio-demographic characteristics.Theories of behavioral self-regulation that taking into account motivational and volitional processes (implementation intentions) provide a conceptual framework to work with the incorporation and maintenance of the exercise, helping these people to create strong goals and handle the different self-regulation problems that can arise. These include the ones related to the preference for avoidance goals (pain or fatigue avoidance) against performing or keep doing an activity (walking exercise). This work searches to help women with fibromyalgia to manage the above mentioned inhibitors to incorporate and maintain long-term physical exercise walking. We consider the heterogeneity of people with fibromyalgia in pain catastrophizing, which makes necessary to adapt interventions aimed to promote physical exercise.
The researchers expect participants with high catastrophizing and implementation intentions to control the preference for avoiding pain or fatigue will walk more time than the other conditions.
The clinical trial started in November 2, 2020 and will continue throughout June 2021.
The patients that can be enrolled into this study include women within the age limitswith fibromyalgia attended the Fibromyalgia Unit of the Valencian Community (Hospital of San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante).
The contacts and locations are the Hospital de San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain. For more details: https://ichgcp.net/clinical-trials-registry/NCT04655053
