Evaluation of pain, functional capacity and kinesiophobia in women in the chronic stage of chikungunya virus infection: A cross-sectional study in northeastern Brazil.

Arboviral diseases have been considered a global public health problem due to their growing territorial dispersion and impact on the population around the world. Individuals affected by the chikungunya virus go through an acute febrile illness associated with severe pain and long-lasting polyarthralgia. After the initial stage, infected individuals may progress to the chronic stage, which has an epidemic character and a high rate of disability and reduced mobility, impacting negatively on their quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between pain, functional capacity, and kinesiophobia in individuals in the chronic stage of chikungunya virus infection. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Natal, in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, between July and September 2018. The participants were 59 women in the chronic stage of chikungunya virus infection. Data were collected in at physical therapy outpatient clinic of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), using a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK). Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis of the time data were conducted by simple regression. The participants' mean age was just over 50 years and average duration of virus infection was 21.54 months. Most participants had moderate to severe pain intensity that more frequent in the ankle and wrist joints. Functional capacity was low, and there was moderate fear of performing exercises and activities of daily living. Duration of infection was associated with increased pain intensity and loss of functional capacity. We can conclude that women in the chronic stage of chikungunya infection have significant pain, reduced functional capacity, and fear of performing common movements of daily living.

Thalassotherapy for fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial comparing aquatic exercises in sea water and water pool.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of aerobic exercise in water pool compared with aerobic exercise performed in sea by women with fibromyalgia (FM). A total of 46 patients were randomly allocated into two groups: pool group (23 patients) and sea group (23 patients) that performed the same aerobic exercise program. Patients were evaluated baseline and after 12 weeks using: VAS, number of tender points, FIQ, SF-36, PSQI, and BDI. Both groups improved significantly in post-treatment for all the evaluated variables. There were no significant differences between two groups, except for BDI (F=2.418, P<0.0001). Aerobic exercise program performed in water (pool or sea) was effective for patients with FM. However, sea water exercises have been shown to bring more advantages related to emotional aspects. Then, exercise performed sea water (thalassotherapy) is an option for effective treatment with low cost for patients with FM.