for goals related to physical exercise in women with fibromyalgia. Exercise or avoid pain?

Abstract

Introduction: Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease with musculoskeletal pain as main symptom. Physical exercise is an optimal strategy for the improvement of the symptoms. Patients associate deteriorate physical activity, so they end up avoiding it. The objectives were: (1) Evaluate and describe the preference for achievement goals related to physical exercise versus avoidance goals pain and sociodemographic and clinical profile, and (2) establish the association between that setting goals and different patterns of physical activity. Method: A correlational design was used, evaluating 260 women with fibromyalgia in preference to goals regarding physical exercise, activity patterns and emotional state. Results: Women with preferences for physical exercise goals did not score significantly differently than women who showed the opposite preference in the sociodemographic and clinical variables studied. The preference to avoid pain was significantly associated with patterns of avoidance of physical activity and less persistence. Conclusions: Patients generally prefer goals related to pain avoidance. This preference is not associated with any sociodemographic or clinical profile, but with different activity patterns. Given the relevance of physical exercise in the treatment, intervening to be a relevant goal is configured as a therapeutic goal.