Effects of eccentric strength preconditioning with and without turmeric supplementation on pain and functional capacity in women with fibromyalgia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v84.119865Keywords:
fibromyalgia, eccentric strength, curcumin, chronic pain, womenAbstract
Introduction: Fibromyalgia is a chronic widespread pain syndrome of high prevalence that primarily affects women of working age. Eccentric exercise and turmeric have each demonstrated analgesic and anti-inflammatory potential; however, no prior evidence exists regarding their combined use in this population.
Objective: To determine the effects of an eccentric strength preconditioning program, with and without turmeric supplementation, on muscle strength, pain, and associated symptoms in women aged 30 to 65 years diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
Methodology: Quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest study with two groups (n=30; 16% dropout adjustment): Strength Group (n=15) and Strength + Turmeric Group (n=15). Five dropouts were recorded; analyzed sample: 25 participants. Intervention duration: eight weeks, two sessions per week, Slow/Superslow eccentric technique, 40–60% of maximum repetition. The Strength + Turmeric Group additionally received 1,500 mg/day of turmeric supplementation.
Results: Significant reductions were observed in the Widespread Pain Index (Strength Group: 11.8 to 5.1; Strength + Turmeric Group: 12.5 to 5.8; p=0.001) and the Symptom Severity Scale (p≤0.002 in both groups). Muscle strength increased significantly in upper (+45.4 N) and lower limbs (+22.4 N) in both groups.
Discussion: Covariance analysis revealed no significant between-group differences, confirming eccentric exercise as the primary active component of the intervention.
Conclusions: The eccentric strength program effectively reduces pain and improves functional capacity in women with fibromyalgia; turmeric supplementation did not add a statistically significant differential benefit under the evaluated protocol.
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