• Ivan P J Huijnen, Jeanine A Verbunt, Mira Meeus, and Rob J E M Smeets.
• Research School CAPHRI, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
• Pain Pract. 2015 Nov 1; 15 (8): 748-56.

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate whether patients with fibromyalgia FM need more oxygen and more time to complete a walking and stair-climbing task than healthy volunteers and perceive the performance of these tasks as more strenuous. Furthermore, it was evaluated whether a less efficient performance is more pronounced in patients reporting a higher level of fear of movement.MethodsThirty patients with FM and 30 matched healthy volunteers completed a 500-meter walking and a stair-climbing task (60 steps) while wearing a mobile gas analyzing unit. Mean and total oxygen consumption and time needed to complete each task were recorded. After both tasks, a Borg score was used to measure perceived exertion. Fear of movement was measured with the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia.ResultsPatients with FM needed more time to complete the walking and stair-climbing task and reported higher levels of exertion compared to healthy volunteers. However, the total oxygen consumption for performing both tasks was not different. In patients with FM, a higher level of fear of movement was associated with a higher perceived exertion after the walking task. Interestingly, a higher somatic focus is related to a lower mean oxygen consumption needed to perform the stair-climbing task.ConclusionIn conclusion, patients with FM perceive a walking and stair-climbing task as more strenuous than healthy controls, even though they walked slower and no differences in total O2 consumption during completion of both tasks were found.© 2014 World Institute of Pain.

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