Physical activity and exercise in the management of chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain: A focus on fibromyalgia

Musculoskeletal pain is considered to be chronic when pain lasts longer than the normal tissue healing time, usually 3 months. Fibromyalgia is a disease characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by other symptoms (e.g., fatigue and signs of depression). Decades ago, the general advice for people suffering from chronic musculoskeletal pain was to rest. Today, the advice has dramatically changed because it is well known that physical activity and exercise are key in the successful management of chronic musculoskeletal pain. This chapter provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art and the recommendations launched for physical activity and exercise in the management of chronic musculoskeletal pain, in general, and fibromyalgia, in particular.