FRI0717-HPR A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CORE STABILIZATION EXERCISE AND COMBINED EXERCISE ON PAIN, FATIGUE, SLEEP PROBLEM AND HEALTH STATUS IN WOMEN WITH FIBROMYALGIA

Abstract

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a syndrome characterized mainly by chronic widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disorders and decrease in health status. Exercise, one of the non-pharmacological approach, has favorable effects on clinic findings in FM, but studies investigating which types of the exercise are more effective in FM are limited. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of core stabilization exercise (CSE) and combined exercise (CE) on pain, fatigue, sleep problem and health status in women with FM. Methods: A total of 34 women with FM were included, allocated into the CSE (n:18, age: 43.05±9.23 years, body mass index (BMI): 27.25±5.23 kg/m2) and the CE (n:16, age: 38.43±9.55 years, BMI: 25.62±3.68 kg/m2) groups. Both the CSE and the CE programs were carried out 2 days a week for 6 weeks under the supervision of a physiotherapist. Pain, fatigue and sleep problems with Visual Analog Scale and health status with Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire were evaluated at baseline and after 6-weeks program. Results: Physical characteristics of the groups were similar (page=0.162, pbmi=0.313). After the program, it was found that pain (p=0.001; p=0.014), fatigue (p=0,002; p=0.011), and sleep problem (p=0.007; p=0.039) decreased, health status (p=0.001; p=0.001) improved in both the CE and the CSE groups, respectively. Moreover, sleep problem decreased in the CE group in comparison to the CSE group (p=0.038); but pain (p=0.240), fatigue (p=0.178), and health status (p=0.098) did not differ between groups. Conclusion: In this study, it was observed that both the CSE and the CE programs were effective in decreasing pain, fatigue, sleep problem and improving health status of women with FM. In addition, the study suggested that the CE was superior in decreasing sleep problem in comparison to the CSE in women with FM. In clinics, both the CSE and the CE programs may be preferred to improve the symptoms of FM; however, the CE should be taken into account for the sleep problems in FM.