Fibromyalgia And Warm Water Exercise

January 5th, 2013 by GetFit

Weak muscle tissues with extensive muscle pain is undoubtedly a simple fact for Fibromyalgia sufferers. It also appears that muscle tissue strength is substantially less in those experiencing Fibromyalgia. Numerous studies have shown that if you have Fibromyalgia the maximal isometric and dynamic muscle power is lower when compared to healthy people. This means that, those being affected by Fibromyalgia are apt to have weaker knees and the surrounding muscle groups that support the knee are usually weaker and much less stable.

Other studies, which focused on resistance have demostrated lower outcomes in functional analysis in relation to everyday living, such as being seated and getting up from a chair, where diminished maximum muscle strength of knee extensors can be seen. This sort of weakness can result in loss of self-sufficiency. You may have felt this yourself, where getting up is tricky. Your knees feel as if they’re going to buckle, and they may be unable to support the weight of your entire body while moving down to a sitting down position, or coming up to a standing position. A large number of people with Fibromyalgia find it impossible, or at a minimum very hard to crouch down with knees bent and then attempt to stand up.

Becoming involved with low impact physical fitness including yoga, Tai Chi, walking, water aerobics, and low impact aerobics will often be recommended for treating Fibromyalgia. Balneotherapy and/or warm baths have been shown to manage muscle pain effectively. The trouble is warm water exercise is harder to locate than land based exercise, and therefore many Fibromyalgia sufferers may not have access to warm water exercise classes close by. However, it may be well worth the efforts to try to attend them if possible.

Studies have shown that Fibromyalgia patients achieved positive results from reduced pain and low energy with a combination of land based exercise programs with warm water pool workouts. These kinds of exercises also helped improve cardiovascular capacity and psychological wellness. The objective of one study was to evaluate the short- and long-term effectiveness of exercise therapy using a warm, waist-high pool for women with Fibromyalgia. The study observed exercisers who participated in 34 water classes. They did not alter any of their other activities. At the end of the program, the quantity of tender points had not changed in both the control group or the intervention group. However, the intervention group recognized considerable improvements in levels of pain, with a 29% decline in pain. Follow up statistics indicated that this gain was lost after 12 weeks of no water exercises. Knee strengthening throughout this research study was significant, with knee extensors showing a 20% improvement, and knee flexors seeing a 33% improvement. Translated this shows that those who suffer from Fibromyalgia may use warm water exercise to strengthen their knees and strengthen mobility and stability, all of which are areas of concern in Fibromyalgia patients.

This study clearly indicated that warm water exercise will benefit Fibromyalgia patients. It leads to noteworthy gains in strength of the knee extensors, which is a major predictor in independence as it relates directly to your day to day life. It has long been known that low impact water exercises were beneficial to those recovering from injuries or surgeries. According to the final results of this study it seems that if you are afflicted by Fibromyalgia warm water exercise may be very helpful to you. The key is that the exercises need to be ongoing as the benefits are lost over time.

Learn more about exercise for fibromyalgia here and about symptoms of fibromyalgia here.