Fibromyalgia Integrative Training for Adolescents With Juvenile Fibromyalgia

Summary

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Juvenile-onset fibromyalgia (JFM) is a chronic, debilitating pain condition that typically persists into adulthood for the majority of patients. Whereas medications offer limited and short-term symptom relief for JFM, our research group has demonstrated that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is saf...

Juvenile-onset fibromyalgia (JFM) is a chronic, debilitating pain condition that typically persists into adulthood for the majority of patients. Whereas medications offer limited and short-term symptom relief for JFM, our research group has demonstrated that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is safe, effective and durable in reducing functional disability and depressive symptoms in adolescents with this condition. However, 60% of patients receiving CBT did not show clinically significant improvement in functional disability, and pain levels remained in the moderate range despite being reduced overall. Our multidisciplinary team of experts in Behavioral Medicine, Rheumatology and Exercise Science has developed and tested the feasibility of a new Fibromyalgia Integrative Training program for Teens (FIT Teens), which enhances the established CBT intervention with a novel neuromuscular exercise training program derived from evidence-based pediatric injury prevention research. Pilot testing showed excellent patient engagement, no adverse effects and very promising early results indicating this treatment to have even stronger effects on disability and pain outcomes than CBT alone. This trial evaluates whether the FIT Teens intervention is more effective than CBT alone or graded aerobic exercise alone and whether treatment effects are sustainable over 1 year follow-up.

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