Rehabilitation of Adults with Fibromyalgia

Abstract

Fibromyalgia syndrome is an increasingly recognized
chronic musculoskeletal disorder, involving widespread
pain, soft tissue tenderness, other somatic complaints,
physical deconditioning, cognitive impairment,
psychological issues and disability. It adversely impacts
mobility, activities of daily living, work productivity,
societal participation and quality of life. Multidisciplinary
rehabilitation approaches are often required for prompt
recognition of impairments related to fibromyalgia and
formulation of an individualized rehabilitation plan to
assist patients in relieving symptoms, improve mobility,
daily and psychosocial functioning, as well as quality of
life. To date, there appears to be little scientific evidence
for the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions for
fibromyalgia. However, rehabilitation strategies remain
commonly used as an approach for this condition, which
causes much personal and substantial economic loss to
society. We aim to summarize the current evidence for the
effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions used for
fibromyalgia among working age adults, including
pharmacological and non-pharmacological management
approaches.
Keywords: Fibromyalgia, rehabilitation, treatment,
intervention, evidence-based, medication.