Fibromyalgia, Pain, and Physical Activity: A Bibliometric Analysis

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Exercise Science
• Bibliometrics

Background:

• Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex rheumatic disease impacting quality of life through pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive issues.
• Physical activity (PA) and exercise are recognized as effective interventions for managing FM symptoms, particularly pain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct the first bibliometric analysis of research on fibromyalgia, pain, and physical activity.
• To identify trends, key publications, influential authors, and leading journals in this research area.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an advanced search strategy on the Web of Science Core Collection database.
• Applied traditional bibliometric laws to analyze 737 retrieved documents.
• Examined publication trends, citation counts, prolific authors, and leading journals.

Main Results:

• Annual publications show an exponential growth trend (R² = 85.3%), indicating increasing research interest.
• The USA was the most productive country, Rheumatology International the most prolific journal, and Kaisa Mannerkorpi the most prolific co-author.
• "Fibromyalgia: A Clinical Review" was the most cited document, and Daniel Clauw the most cited co-author.

Conclusions:

• The exponential growth in publications highlights the significant and expanding research focus on the interplay between fibromyalgia, pain, and physical activity.
• This bibliometric study provides a foundational overview of the research landscape, identifying key contributors and trends for future investigation.