Fibromyalgia and Rehabilitation. Not as You Thought. Changing the Stigma

A cohort of patients in the rehabilitation wards also suffer from Fibromyalgia, which is considered the most prevalent cause of chronic pain. Poor function, subjective cognitive impairment, instability and imbalance are all common features of Fibromyalgia, among other more prominent features such as the use of chronic pain medication. The main purpose of this study was to examine the differences in Length of Stay (LOS) and functional outcome parameters.

A retrospective cohort trial was conducted at the Soroka University Medical Centre. The time of data collection was conducted from January 2015 to December 2021. Patients were divided into two groups based on their exposure status: With Fibromyalgia (n = 43) and Control group Without Fibromyalgia (n = 1119). A 1:10 matching process and regression analysis were performed to avoid confounding factors. Matching was based on age, gender, and ethnicity. Various rehabilitation outcomes were collected along with pain assessment and pain medication use during the hospitalisation. Statistical analysis was performed using R software. A p value of < 0.05 will be considered statistically significant.

No statistically significant difference was found in the duration of hospitalisation, the FIM index at admission and discharge, or the change in the FIM index (ΔFIM) during hospitalisation between the two groups. No statistically significant differences were demonstrated in stability and balance indices (DGI, BBS) or cognitive assessment tests (MoCA).

The stigma is incorrect, as patients with fibromyalgia can improve their functional parameters during an inpatient rehabilitation programme to the same degree as those without fibromyalgia.