Healthy lifestyle interventions in general practice: Part 16: Lifestyle and fibromyalgia

  • E Wayne Derman University of Cape Town
  • S Whitesman Institute for Mindfulness
  • M Dreyer Vitality Wellness
  • D N Patel Vitality Wellness
  • C Nossel Vitality Wellness
  • Martin Schwellnus University of Cape Town
Keywords: fibromyalgia

Abstract

Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder, characterised by chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, and the presence of multiple tender points as well as a host of associated symptomatology. Optimal management of patients with fibromyalgia requires a multidisciplinary approach, with a combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions that are tailored to the patient’s pain, dysfunction and associated features, including depression, sleep disorder and fatigue. Non-pharmacological lifestyle-based interventions to treat this disorder include exercise therapy, dietary modification, and psychosocial interventions. This review outlines these three forms of lifestyle intervention in patients with fibromyalgia.

Author Biographies

E Wayne Derman, University of Cape Town
MBChB, PhD(Sports and Exercise Medicine), FACSM, FFIMS Professor Sports and Exercise Medicine MRC/UCT Research Unit for Sports Science and Sports Medicine IOC Research Center for Injury Prevention and Protection of Health of the Athlete University of Cape Town
S Whitesman, Institute for Mindfulness
MBChB Institute for Mindfulness South Africa
M Dreyer, Vitality Wellness
BSc(Hons Sports Science), BSc(Hons Dietetics) Vitality Wellness
D N Patel, Vitality Wellness
MBBCh, MMed(Paeds) Vitality Wellness
C Nossel, Vitality Wellness
MBBCh, MBA Vitality Wellness
Martin Schwellnus, University of Cape Town
MP, MBBCh, MSc (Med) Sports Science, MD (Sports & Exercise Medicine), FACSM, FFIMS Professor of Sports Medicine & Exercise Science