Quantification Theory Type III Analysis of Symptom Improvement of Female Patients with Fibromyalgia Following a 3-week Inpatient Exercise Program

[Purpose] To categorize trends in symptom improvement of female patients with fibromyalgia (FM) during a 3-week inpatient exercise program (aerobic exercise, muscle strengthening exercise, etc.). [Participants and Methods] Eleven female patients with FM were the subjects. The SF-8 Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) were assessed before and after the program, and physical condition, fatigue, sound sleep, pain, enjoyment, number of steps, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and posture (percentage of time spent sitting and standing) were measured before, during and after the program. The tendency of symptom improvement was classified into four categories based on the tendency of improvement in each item using Quantification Theory Type III analysis. [Results] Symptom improvement trends were classified into four groups: 1) sleep duration, sound sleep, and fatigue; 2) posture and PCS; 3) number of steps, MCS, and sleep efficiency; and 4) pain, enjoyment, and physical condition. [Conclusion] The present study categorized the effects of exercise therapy for female patients with FM into four types.