Women's strategies for handling chronic muscle pain: a qualitative study

Medicine lacks good models for understanding and treating chronic muscle pain. The aim of this study was to explore whether participation in a treatment group for women with chronic muscle pain can help the participants to develop strategies to handle their chronic muscle pain.

The study was carried out as a qualitative research project. Eight women completed a treatment programme consisting of movement training and group discussions. The qualitative data consisted of transcriptions from audio-taped individual interviews. The data material was analysed by systematic text condensation inspired by Giorgi.

All the women describe participation in the treatment group as useful. Their experiences could be categorized as follows: To know oneself, to negotiate with oneself and others, to be able to choose, and to be able to act.

The participants developed strategies for handling their chronic muscle pain. Both the women's new understanding of their chronic muscle pain and increased confidence in themselves were important. These phenomena can help women in their encounters with their surroundings, for example when consulting doctors. The doctor's awareness of the women's resources and their own mastering strategies may contribute to a new understanding of the disposing, triggering, and maintaining factors, and of the curative and health-promoting forces at work in those with chronic muscle pain.