Exercise in warm water decreases pain but no the number of tender points in women with fibromyalgia: A randomized controlled trial. [Spanish]

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of 8 months of physical exercise in warm water on pain in female with fibromyalgia (FM). Methods: Thirty three patients with FM were randomly assigned into two groups: an exercise group (n = 17), who performed 3 weekly sessions for 60 minutes of physical exercise; and a control group (n=16), who continued their habitual daily activities without exercising. The pain was assessed by means of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnarie (FIQ) and the Short Form 36 (SF36). The number of tender points were also assessed. Results: After 8 months of physical exercise significant improvements in the exercise group were observed compared to the control group in the dimensions of "pain" (FIQ) (9%; p=0.040) and "body pain" (SF-36) (58%; p=0.001). The number tender points did not show any significant change. Conclusion: Eight months of physical exercise in warm water was an effective treatment to decrease the pain in women with FM. However, the physical exercise program was not effective in decreasing the number of tender points.