Inflammatory response to a bout of high-intensity exercise in females with fibromyalgia

Purpose Past clinical trials show that individuals with fibromyalgia (FM) can benefit from moderate to high-intensity exercises (MHIE). However, individuals with FM present with exacerbated pain responses post-MHIE impacting their compliance to MHIE. This study aimed to identify a physiological factor involved in the exacerbated pain response to MHIE in people with FM by examining their inflammatory response to a bout of high-intensity exercise (HIE). Methods In this prospective study, 26 participants with FM and 9 healthy controls were recruited. The participants were subjected to a bout of HIE on a recumbent cycle ergometer with their blood samples collected at three time points (pre-HIE, HIE peak, and 1-h post-HIE). The primary outcomes were levels of the pro-inflammatory interleukins IL-6 and IL-8, and anti-inflammatory IL-10 at each of the three time points. Pain intensity before HIE and 24-h post-HIE was also measured. Results In comparison to healthy individuals, FM participants presented a blunted anti-inflammatory response to the HIE bout. Changes in the IL-10 level from the pre- to HIE peak were significantly different ( p < 0.05) between the two groups (FM − 0.2 ± 0.9 and HC 0.5 ± 0.8) suggesting that patients with FM may not produce sufficient anti-inflammatory responses (IL-10) during HIE. Participants with FM also reported significantly higher ( p < 0.01) levels of widespread muscle pain 24 h after the exercise. Conclusion Results from the current study suggest that people with FM present exacerbated symptoms after MHIE that may be partially due to a blunted anti-inflammatory response.