Subgroups of Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS): Symptoms, Beliefs, and Tailored Treatment

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a condition without a known cause or cure. Differing theories place the blame on abnormal sensitivity to pain receptors in the brain, changes in metabolism and hormones, abnormalities in the autonomic nervous system, sleep disturbances, infection, or injury. A diagnosis of FMS, therefore, is based on a set of symptoms. These include pain in muscles, ligaments, and tendons; fatigue; and multiple tender points on the body, where even slight pressure causes pain.

Although there is no cure, FMS can be treated to reduce the severity or presence of symptoms. One of the most reliable ways to do this is through progressive exercise, which involves starting at low levels of exercise and building up to longer and more strenuous levels. Despite the benefit of exercise, FSM sufferers often drop out of supervised exercise programs or discontinue exercise once they are no longer supervised. Some FMS patients may have a fear-based avoidance of exercise, believing it will provoke pain or deterioration of their condition and experiencing significant negative emotional arousal when they exercise. This may be due to a prior painful or uncomfortable experience while exercising.

This study will employ multiple treatments that are usually used for treatment of phobias and will aim to reduce fear, increase exercising, and improve FMS symptoms. Under the purview of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are multiple types of treatments. Cognitive restructuring (CR) and coping skills training (ST) paired together address maladaptive beliefs and facilitate the development of more effective coping strategies. Exposure therapy (ET) reduces the level of emotional arousal when patients are exposed to the feared stimulus, in this case exercising. Attention control (AC) treatment, not a type of CBT, provides patients with support and controls for nonspecific factors related to exposure to their feared stimulus. AC will be used as the control treatment in this study.

Participation in this study will last 4 months. After recruitment and an initial evaluation, participants will be placed on a waiting list for 8 weeks to determine whether their symptoms improve or change naturally. They will then be reassessed and randomly assigned to one of the following groups for 8 weeks of treatment:

1. CR+ST: This group will help participants develop adaptive ways of thinking and acting to alter maladaptive beliefs in general and beliefs about certain exercises in specific.
2. ET: This group will help participants to decrease their fear response during specific exercises through progressive, controlled exposure to the feared stimulus.
3. COMB: This group will combine CR+ST and ET treatment plans so that adaptive thoughts and behaviors will be emphasized in the first 4 weeks, and exposure to feared stimuli will be emphasized in the second 4 weeks.
4. AC: This group will offer participants non-directive, supportive counseling. Each treatment group will meet in weekly 90-minute group sessions for the first 4 weeks and in weekly 60-minute individual sessions for the second 4 weeks. Participants will have 60-minute physical therapy sessions accompanying every treatment session. Participants will also be given weekly homework assignments specific to their treatment group.

Participants will undergo a series of assessments that include self-report measures, medical and psychological evaluations, and a physical capability evaluation by a physical trainer. These assessments will be performed at recruitment, after the 8-week waiting period, after treatment, at 1- and 3-month mail and telephone follow-ups, and at a 6-month follow-up in the treatment clinic. They will assess fear, health, physical ability, and psychological health.