OBJECTIVE: To verify and compare the effects of hydrokinesiotherapy and kinesiotherapy in the quality of life of patients with fibromyalgia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was realized a randomized clinical trial, blinded, to observers. To evaluate the quality of life, it was used the generic questionnaire SF- 36 in order to analyze the physical and psychological aspects, in 24 female patients with fibromyalgia, between 30 and 55 years old, placed aleatorialy in two groups: hydrokinesiotherapy and kinesiotherapy. During a period of 23 weeks, the patients were submitted to stretching and aerobic exercises of low intensity with one hour of duration each section (in both groups). RESULTS: It was observed statistically significant increase (p < 0,05) in the majority of the aspects of SF-36 in both groups. CONCLUSION: The hydrokinesiotherapy provides a favorable muscle relaxing to improve the quality of life, however it is not the main factor to decrease the effects of the pathology, since the kinesiotherapy also provided beneficent effects to promote the well being of these patients. Therefore, stretching and aerobic exercises of low intensity employed in both protocols are the probable responsibles by positive effects observed in both therapeutic modalities analysed.
Fibromyalgia; Quality of life; Hydrotherapy; Kinesiotherapy
