Can exercise help with fibromyalgia symptoms?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes sensitivity and pain all over your body.

The condition affects about 2% of adults in the United States. The causes of fibromyalgia are still unclear, but people with the condition are often more sensitive to pain.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies the following common symptoms of fibromyalgia:

• stiffness and pain all over the body
• persistent fatigue
• anxiety and depression
• sleep disturbances like insomnia
• difficulty with concentration, memory, and thought processing
• headaches

Traditional fibromyalgia treatment may include psychotherapy, pain medication, and lifestyle modifications. Regular physical activity may help complement these efforts.

Does exercise help fibromyalgia?

Pain and fatigue may make physical activity difficult if you live with fibromyalgia symptoms. However, research suggests that some forms of exercise may help to:

• reduce overall pain
• improve your sense of well-being
• reduce depression symptoms
• improve health-related quality of life

Best exercise types for fibromyalgia

Federal guidelines recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity and 2 days of strength training weekly. You can distribute this into five 30-minute exercise sessions or even a few 10-minute sessions per day every day.

If you are not used to being physically active, you might want to start with shorter sessions and lower-intensity activities. You may then slowly build up to more time and higher intensity over time.

These exercises may be suitable if you have fibromyalgia:

1. Low impact aerobic activity

Exercise such as swimming, walking, and biking may help fibromyalgia symptoms. These activities can also improve your mental health and sleep quality.

Research suggests that water-based exercises in a pool can be beneficial if you live with fibromyalgia. These tend to be low impact and relaxing.

2. Mind-body and flexibility exercises

Mind-body exercises combine body movement, breathing techniques, and mental focus. They may improve your strength, flexibility, and balance. Flexibility exercises involve stretching.

Examples of mind-body exercises that may also involve stretching are yoga and tai chi.

Research suggests that combining mind-body exercises and stretching may improve your mood while decreasing stiffness.

3. Resistance and strength exercises

Strength-based exercises increase the volume and resistance of your muscles. You may use equipment, like weights or resistance bands, or your own body weight to perform these exercises.

Research suggests that strength training may reduce pain and improve your sense of overall well-being. Other studies show that strength training may also improve symptoms of depression, common in people with fibromyalgia.

If you are not used to strength training, you may want to start with lighter weights or low intensity strength training and then build up from there.

Exercises to avoid when you have fibromyalgia

Physical activity, in general, may be beneficial for symptoms of fibromyalgia.

However, high intensity, high impact, and prolonged exercise routines may be challenging, particularly if you are not used to them. You could also have increased pain symptoms following these types of routines.

You may want to keep a journal to log how you feel physically and emotionally after performing an exercise.

Everyone is different, and what may feel soothing to you may aggravate someone else’s symptoms. You may also find that, depending on your current symptoms, some forms of exercise may feel different depending on the day.

How to manage post-workout flares

The Arthritis Foundation notes that you may notice your pain levels get worse when you first start exercising. This is natural and does not necessarily mean that you have hurt yourself. These post-workout effects may lessen after exercising regularly for at least 6 weeks.

To manage post-workout flares, you may:

• avoid exercising if you are already experiencing a fibromyalgia flare. You may want to wait until you are feeling better to start.
• space out your workouts and give yourself a day or two between each session
• start with gentle movement (like walking) for a short period of time and slowly build up intensity and duration

Does increased physical activity help?

Any physical activity can help with fibromyalgia symptoms. You don’t have to perform elaborate or structured workouts in a gym to reap the benefits. 

Moving more, in any way you can, may help you improve fibromyalgia symptoms.

Activities that could help include:

• gardening
• chores
• climbing stairs
• dancing
• playing with your children and pets

How is fibromyalgia treated?

Fibromyalgia treatment focuses on relieving pain and improving your sense of well-being. It may involve talk therapy, medications, and lifestyle modifications.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend these fibromyalgia management options:

1. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT is a talk therapy that helps decrease negative self-talk and mood-related symptoms. It may also help with pain management. CBT aims to help you change how you think about yourself, your pain, and the general situations you are experiencing.

2. Medication

Your healthcare professional may recommend you take some medications, such as:

• Antidepressants: These may help with fibromyalgia symptoms even if you don’t have depression. Your options may include duloxetine (Cymbalta) and milnacipran (Savella).
• Anti-seizure medications: These medicines may help with symptoms like pain and poor sleep. Some examples of anti-seizure medications include gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise, Horizant) and pregabalin (Lyrica).
• Analgesics (pain relief): You may be offered pain relievers if you experience severe pain levels.

Your treatment may vary depending on your medical history and particular symptoms.

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3. Lifestyle changes

In addition to increased physical activity, lifestyle modifications may help with fibromyalgia, including:

• Sleep hygiene: Sleeping at least 7 hours daily may help you decrease pain and fatigue levels. Following the same daily routine and limiting caffeine and alcohol intake may help.
• Nutrient-dense diet: Focusing on anti-inflammatory foods may offer you some relief. Options may include mixed greens, fresh vegetables and fruits, seeds and nuts, and healthy fats.
• Education: Learning as much as possible about fibromyalgia and joining a support group may provide valuable information to help you manage your condition.

Summary

Regular physical activity of any kind may help you manage fibromyalgia symptoms. Aerobic exercises, strength training, and stretching are recommended. Mind-body practices like yoga may also help.

Lower intensity and duration are advisable, though, especially if you’re not used to working out.

Physical activity may help to reduce pain, boost your mood, and improve your overall quality of life.

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