Longitudinal association of sedentary time and physical activity with pain and quality of life in fibromyalgia 2022 Gavilán-Carrrera et al

Abstract

Objective
To analyze changes over time and the predictive value of baseline and changes of sedentary time (ST) and physical activity (PA) on pain, disease impact, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at 2- and 5-year follow-up in women with fibromyalgia.

Methods
This is a longitudinal and exploratory study with three time points. A total of 427 women with fibromyalgia (51.4 ± 7.6 years) were followed after 2 (n=172) and 5 years (n=185). ST and PA (light and moderate-to-vigorous [MVPA]) were assessed using triaxial accelerometers. Pain, disease impact, and HRQoL were measured using: pressure pain threshold, the pain subscale of the revised fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQR), the bodily pain subscale of the 36-item Short-form health survey (SF-36), a Visual Analog Scale (VAS), the FIQR, and the SF-36 physical and mental components.

Results
Over 5 years, pressure pain threshold, ST, light PA, and MVPA variables were worsened, while FIQR and SF-36 variables were improved (Cohen's d<0.1 to 0.3). Baseline ST or light PA were not associated with future outcomes, whereas greater MVPA at baseline was associated with better SF-36 bodily pain at 5-year follow-up (β= 0.13). Reducing ST and increasing light PA were associated with better bodily pain (β =-0.16 and 0.17, respectively) and SF-36 physical component (β=-0.20 and 0.17, respectively) at 5-year follow-up. Increasing MVPA was associated with less pain (pressure pain threshold, VAS, FIQR-pain) and better SF-36 physical component at 2- and 5-year follow-up (β's from -0.20 to 0.21).

Conclusions
Objectively measured variables slightly worsened over years, while for self-reported outcomes there was a trend for improvement. Reductions in ST and increases in light PA and MVPA were associated with better HRQoL at 5-year follow-up, and increases in MVPA were additionally associated with better pain and HRQoL at 2-year follow-up.

Paywall, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sms.14258

 

I haven't, couldn't access whole report.

However the number of subjects measured at five years (185) were greater than the ones measured at two years (175). I assume that the folks measured at two years were then measured at five years, for comparison's sake.

But then, where did the extra 10 PwFM come from? Unable to tell; need the data

Interesting that objective measures showed an increase in pain at five years. Unable to tell from the abstract for how many years the PwFM had had symptoms of it. So what were they comparing, exactly?

This report is from the Department of Sports at Univ of Granada, Spain.

 

This is the juice. The entire field has to deal with this and just can't bother. Seems like they could go on for another century pretending that it doesn't matter, objective outcomes = bad.

It still confuses the outcome for the process, reducing pain or sedentary time doesn't lead to improvement, improvement leads to reduced pain or sedentary time. But improvement is rare, so unlikely to show objectively.

I really, really long for the day medical research becomes concerned with respecting the linear passage of time. One day.

 

Or maybe the whole field of medicine is actually so far ahead of us that they have broken free of time's arrow and our puny human-brained limitations of only being able to experience time's arrow pointing in one direction......?