title: Association of Physical Fitness With Fibromyalgia Severity in Women: The al-Ándalus Project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the association between physical fitness and fibromyalgia (FM) severity in women with FM as well as to assess whether different fitness components present an independent relation with FM severity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University facilities and FM associations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women with FM (N=444).
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  FM severity was assessed with the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR). Aerobic fitness (6-min walk test), muscle strength (handgrip, chair stand, and arm curl tests), flexibility (chair sit and reach and back scratch tests), and motor agility (8 foot Up and Go test) were measured with the Senior Fitness Test battery and digital dynamometry. A standardized composite score (hereafter "global fitness profile") was calculated and divided into quintiles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, physical fitness was significantly associated with the FIQR total and subscale scores, regardless of the fitness test used (all P<.05). The 6-minute walk and back-scratch tests were independently associated with the FIQR total score (R(2)=.88; both P<.005). The group with the highest global fitness profile had 16% lower FM severity than did the group with the lowest global fitness profile (P<.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that higher physical fitness is consistently associated with lower FM severity in women with FM. Aerobic fitness and flexibility present independent associations with FM severity. However, the FIQR variability explained by these fitness tests was rather low (<10%), and further research on the potential disagreement between performance-based physical fitness and different self-reported outcomes in women with FM is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. Electronic address: asm@ugr.es.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soriano-Maldonado
authors.affiliation: The Parker Institute, Department of Rheumatology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Marius
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Henriksen
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Segura-Jiménez
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Department of Physiology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Virginia A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Aparicio
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Education, School of Education Science, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carbonell-Baeza
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delgado-Fernández
authors.affiliation: The Parker Institute, Department of Rheumatology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Kirstine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Amris
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Jonatan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Ruiz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D004856:Postural Balance; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Chronic pain; Female; Muscle strength; Physical endurance; Questionnaires; Rehabilitation