Proof-of-concept of prehabilitation, a combination of education and behavioural change, to promote physical activity in people with fibromyalgia

Objectives: To establish proof-of-concept of a prehabilitation intervention, a combination of education and behavioural change, preceding a physical activity programme in people with fibromyalgia (FM). Settings: Open-label, feasibility clinical trial. Participants: Eleven people with FM (10 women). Interventions: The prehabilitation intervention consisted of 4 weeks, one weekly session (~1 to 1.5 hours), aimed to increase self-efficacy and understand why and how to engage in a gentle and self-paced physical activity programme (6 weeks of walking with telephone support). Primary and secondary outcome measures: Primary outcome was the acceptability and credibility of the intervention by means of the Credibility/Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ). Secondary outcomes comprised scales to measure FM severity, specific symptoms, and sedentary behaviour. An exit interview was finally conducted to identify the strengths, weaknesses and barriers of the intervention. Results: One participant dropped out due to finding the walking programme excessively stressful. Participants expected the intervention would improve their symptoms by 22- 38% but resulted in 5-26% improvements. Participants would be confident in recommending this intervention to a friend who experiences similar problems. The interviews suggested considering the fluctuation of symptoms as an outcome and as a part of the prehabilitation intervention. Additional suggestions were to incorporate initial interviews (patient-centered approach), to tailor the programs to individuals’ priorities and conditions in a daily basic and to offer a variety of physical activity programs to improve motivation. Conclusions: This feasibility study demonstrated that our novel approach is acceptable to people with FM. Future interventions should pay attention to flexibility, symptoms fluctuation and patients support