Exercise Therapy as a First-line, Non-pharmacological Intervention for Symptom Reduction and Improved Quality of Life for Patients with Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a disorder of unknown cause, characterized primarily by chronic widespread pain of the musculoskeletal system and an abnormal pain response (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022). In addition to pain, patients with FM report many other symptoms, including: Poor sleep quality, chronic fatigue, depression and anxiety, cognitive difficulties (e.g. memory problems and difficulty thinking known as ‘brain fog’), migraines, tension headaches, irritable or overactive bladder, gastro-intestinal dysfunction (e.g. irritable bowel syndrome and heartburn), and an overall decreased quality of life (American College of Rheumatology [ACR], 2023; CDC, 2022; European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology [EULAR], n.d.; Kundakci, et al., 2022; Niu et al., 2024; Ryan, 2024; Thomas, 2024)....This paper aims to outline the current recommendations regarding exercise therapy for patients with FM and to act as a resource for health care professionals working with FM patients in the clinical setting.