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Physiotherapy group treatment for patients with fibromyalgia--an embodied learning process
Kaisa Mannerkorpi1, Gunvor Gard
1Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden. kaisa.mannerkorpi@rheuma.gu.se
Purpose:
To study how patients with fibromyalgia (FM) experienced physiotherapy group treatment comprising pool exercise and education.
Methods:
Nineteen patients with FM were interviewed and the transcribed interviews were analysed using a phenomenological life-world approach. The participants' mean age was 45 years and their mean symptom duration was 10 years.
Results:
Physiotherapy group treatment was experienced as an embodied learning process, comprising the themes: positive experience of body, sharing experiences of living with FM and creating new patterns of acting. The positive experience of body comprised the following categories: experiencing relaxation, experiencing physical capacity, acknowledging limitations and changing the pattern of activity. Sharing experiences comprised the following categories: not being alone and sharing joy. Three patterns of participation were identified: reciprocity, distancing and remaining outside. Creating new patterns comprised the following categories; calming down, creating a new relationship to self, creating a new relationship to social roles and creating new patterns for managing pain.
Conclusions:
The study indicates that physiotherapy group treatment was experienced as an embodied learning process. Positive experiences of body were intertwined with a new relationship to self and objects in the world. Interactions between the co-participants promoted the process of creating new patterns of thinking and acting in the social world.