Performance of women with fibromyalgia in walking up stairs while carrying a load

Daniel Collado-Mateo; José C Adsuar; Pedro R Olivares; Francisco J Dominguez-Muñoz; Cristina Maestre-Cascales; Narcis Gusi

doi:10.7717/peerj.1656

Performance of women with fibromyalgia in walking up stairs while carrying a load

PeerJ. 2016 Feb 1:4:e1656. doi: 10.7717/peerj.1656. eCollection 2016.

Authors

Daniel Collado-Mateo¹, José C Adsuar¹, Pedro R Olivares², Francisco J Dominguez-Muñoz¹, Cristina Maestre-Cascales¹, Narcis Gusi¹

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Sport Science, University of Extremadura , Cáceres , Spain.
² Instituto de Actividad Física y Salud, Universidad Autonoma de Chile, Talca, Chile; Instituto Superior de Educación Física, Universidad de la República, Uruguay.

Abstract

Background. Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease characterized by widespread pain and other associated symptoms. It has a relevant impact on physical fitness and the ability to perform daily living tasks. The objective of the study was to analyze the step-by-step-performance and the trunk tilt of women with fibromyalgia in the 10-step stair climbing test compared with healthy controls. Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out. Twelve women suffering from fibromyalgia and eight healthy controls were recruited from a local association. Participants were asked to climb 10 stairs without carrying a load and 10 stairs carrying a load of 5 kg in each hand. Mediolateral trunk tilt was assessed using the "Functional Assessment of Biomechanics (FAB)" wireless motion capture device, and the time between steps was assessed via weight-bearing insoles. Results. Trunk tilt in the stair-climbing task carrying a load was significantly higher in women with fibromyalgia when compared to the healthy controls (2.31 (0.63) vs. 1.69 (0.51) respectively). The effect of carrying a load was significantly higher for women with fibromyalgia compared with healthy controls at the intermediate and final part of the task. Discussion. Trunk tilt during stair climbing while carrying a load was higher in women with FM, which could increase the risk of falling. Additionally, women with FM experienced a higher pace slowdown as a consequence of the load, which supports the need of including specific strength and resistance training to physical therapies for this population.

Keywords: Daily living; Fibromyalgia; Motor control; Postural balance; Stair ascent; Women.

Grants and funding

In the framework of the Spanish National R+D+i Plan, the current study has been co-funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness with reference DEP2012-39828. This study has been also co-funded by the Government of Extremadura and European Union Regional Development Funds (FEDER), a way of making Europe (ref. GR10127). DCM is supported by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (FPU14/01283). He was previously supported by a Predoctoral Fellowship from the Fundación Tatiana Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.