EFFECTS OF BREATHING EXERCISE ON PAIN, FATIGUE, SLEEP, CARDIORESPIRATORY CAPACITY, RESPIRATORY MUSCLE STRENGTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN WITH FIBROMYALGIA: A SYSTEMATICREVIEW

• Grant number: 23/16472-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: March 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Ana Claudia Muniz Renno
• Grantee: Alice Torres Pontes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Saúde e Sociedade (ISS). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Baixada Santista. Santos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic, diffuse disease characterized by generalized musculoskeletal pain, tenderness, sleep disturbances, fatigue, stiffness, and the presence of tender points. These symptoms affect quality of life due to the impairment of physical and psychosocial abilities. Respiratory problems can aggravate pain in the areas coinciding with tender points in the upper half of the body in FM patients and easily make them fatigued, which can lead to a decrease in the functionality of daily activities. Due to the impairment of the respiratory muscles in this population, it may be important to incorporate breathing exercises into the treatment protocol. This project aims to investigate the effects of breathing exercises on pain, fatigue, sleep, cardiorespiratory capacity, respiratory muscle strength, and quality of life in individuals with FM. The Medline, Embase, and Web of Science databases will be used to search for articles. Studies involving individuals with FM undergoing breathing exercises compared to a control group will be included. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool will be used to assess the risk of bias, and the level of evidence will be analyzed using the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. It is hoped to identify available studies on the effects of breathing exercise on pain, fatigue, sleep, cardiorespiratory capacity, respiratory muscle strength, and quality of life in individuals with FM, in addition to assessing the risk of bias in these studies and synthesizing the level of evidence to guide health professionals and researchers in their clinical decision-making based on scientific evidence.