Impaired mobility in Fibromyalgia Syndrome patients

A study by Spanish researchers has found that people with Fibromyalgia Syndrome have more mobility problems than healthy controls, and that the more impact their Fibromyalgia Syndrome has on their life, the more their gait is affected.¹

The aim of the study was to determine if there are differences in parameters relating to gait among patients affected by Fibromyalgia Syndrome compared to healthy subjects and whether the severity of the Fibromyalgia Syndrome was related to problems with gait.

For the study, 55 women with Fibromyalgia Syndrome and 44 healthy controls were assessed.

Gait analysis was performed using an instrumented walkway for measurement of the kinematic parameters of gait (GAITRite system), and the Fibromyalgia Syndrome patients also completed a Spanish version of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ).

Significant differences were found between the group of Fibromyalgia Syndrome patients and the control group in velocity, stride length, cadence, single support ratio, double support ratio, stance phase ratio, and swing phase ratio. There were significant inverse correlations between FIQ and velocity, stride length, swing phase, and single support, whereas significant direct correlations were found with stance phase and double support. In other words, a patient whose Fibromyalgia Syndrome had a large impact on their life, was more likely to walk slower, more irregularly and hestitantly, with smaller steps.

The researchers concluded that:

"Gait parameters of women affected by FM were severely impaired when compared to those of healthy women. Different factors such as lack of physical activity, bradikinesia, overweight, fatigue, and pain together with a lower isometric force in the legs can be responsible for the alterations in gait and poorer life quality of women with FM."¹

References:

1. Heredia Jiménez JM et al. Spatial-temporal parameters of gait in women with fibromyalgia. Clin Rheumatol. 2009 Jan 24. [Epub ahead of print]