Effects of Walking as Physical Exercise on Functional Limitation through Pain in Patients with Fibromyalgia-How Does Catastrophic Thinking Contribute?

Background

Aerobic exercise has a beneficial impact on physical and mental health. However, patients with fibromyalgia do not always report perceiving these improvements.

Objective

The aim of this study was to examine whether catastrophic thinking moderated the effects of perceived pain severity once an active and regular lifestyle had been established on functional limitation in chronic pain patients, in particular in fibromyalgia patients.

Methods

The sample consisted of a total of 491 women with fibromyalgia diagnosed according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology. Participants completed an ad-hoc item about lifestyle related to walking pattern, the Brief Pain Inventory, the Pain Catastrophization Scale, and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire-Revised. To examine the relationship between the variables, a moderate mediation analysis was performed through the macro PROCESS (model 14).

Results

The relationship between the performance of the recommended walking pattern and functional limitation was mediated by the severity of pain (B = −5.19, SE = 1.59, t = −3.25, 95% CI = [−4.06, −0.28], p < 0.001). Furthermore, it was found that the mediating effect of pain severity was moderated by catastrophic thinking (Index = −0.014, SE = 0.007, 95% CI [0.002, 0.030]).

Conclusions

The positive effect of walking on functionality through the reduction of pain levels is favored when patients present low catastrophizing, which affects the relevance of including interventions focused on the reduction of catastrophizing in the prescription of physical exercise in patients with fibromyalgia as the treatment of choice.