Physical capacity tests as a complement in the evaluation of the level of disability in women with fibromyalgia: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: The association between motor capacity and the level of disability in patients with fibromyalgia remains underexplored. This study aims to explore the association between physical capacity tests explored in the consultation and the level of disability in women with fibromyalgia.Methods: There were 484 women diagnosed with fibromyalgia who were evaluated with 7 physical capacity tests: 10-m walk, 2-minute walk, 5-repetition getting up from a chair and sitting (G&S), 30-second chair stand, monopodal balance (right and left), and up-and-go. Functional performance was assessed with the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR). Evaluation of the association between the physical capacity tests and the FIQR was initially performed using a principal component analysis (PCA). Subsequently, agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) was performed in order to characterize groups of patients.Results: Results show than FIQR and the tests 10-m walk, 2-minute walk, 5-repetition G&S, 30-second chair stand, and up-and-go test were correlated. The results of the AHC determined 3 groups of patients mainly on one motor dimension with significant differences in both the FIQR and the physical capacity tests retained in the PCA (P < 0.001 for all).Conclusion: The application of these physical tests is simple, fast and can be a complement to the FIQR questionnaire when determining the level of disability of patients with fibromyalgia, in addition to providing information on the evolution of the patients when these tests are administered in the clinical consultation.