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Reported July 2, 2003
Exercise for Fibromyalgia

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PORTLAND, Ore. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Around 7 million Americans have
fibromyalgia. The majority of sufferers are women who live in constant
pain. Now, one woman in oregon says there's a way to ease the pain.

Simple housework with her hands is a constant challenge for Becky
Browning. She says: "When I bend them in the morning, it's like
they're claws. It's like they can't grip anything. It's very painful.
You're in pain all the time."

Exercising doesn't make the pain go away, but it does keep Browning
moving. "Even though it was small, it was making improvements in my
body, in the strength," she says.

"Nothing improves mood, restores function, and reduces symptoms in
fibromyalgia like exercise does," says Kim Dupree Jones, Ph.D., RNC,
an exercise physiologist at Oregon Health & Science University in
Portland.

Exercise for FibromyalgiaJones discovered it has to be the right kind
of exercise: low-intensity, two to three days a week, with small
muscle movements close to the body. "We might slowly go up for a four
count for the concentric contraction, then more quickly go down for
the e-centric contraction," she says.

According to Jones, people with fibromyalgia also need to rest between
contractions. Patients who followed the strength-training program for
three months saw up to a 25 percent improvement in mood, fatigue, and
pain.

Exercise for FibromyalgiaBrowning says, "It would be very minor for a
lot of people, but for me it felt huge." She still has pain, but says
exercising has improved her stamina, allowing her to continue her new
hobby -- taking pictures.

Experts say the wrong exercise may worsen fibromyalgia symptoms. If
you can't find a specific fibromyalgia exercise program, you can use
exercise programs for the elderly or people with arthritis. As always,
consult your doctor first.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by
e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to:
http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Christine Decker
Oregon Health & Science University, L217
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd
Portland, OR 97201
(503) 494-6397
http://www.myalgia.com

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