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Exercise therapy reduces fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome

Larun L, Brurberg KG, Odgaard-Jensen J, et al. Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Feb 7;2:CD003200.

Review question

In people who have chronic fatigue syndrome, does exercise improve their symptoms?

Background

People with chronic fatigue syndrome have ongoing extreme tiredness that can't be explained by other underlying illness. Other symptoms include muscle pain, sleep problems, headaches, and difficulty concentrating or remembering things. Treatment is generally aimed at improving symptoms.

How the research was done

8 studies (randomized controlled trials) were published up to May 2014.

The studies included 1518 adults, mostly women, who were, on average 33 to 45 years of age.

All people in the studies had a doctor’s diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome. Specifically, they had fatigue that was unexplained by any other illness, was severe enough to cause disability or distress, and had lasted for at least 6 months.

Most of the studies compared the effects of exercise therapy with control (usual treatment, relaxation techniques, or stretching). Exercise therapy usually involved some type of aerobic exercise, such as walking, swimming, cycling, or dancing. Exercise therapy and control lasted about 3 to 6 months.

What the researchers found

Compared with control, exercise therapy:

• reduced fatigue;
• improved the quality of sleep;
• improved physical function;
• improved self-rated overall health; and
• did not increase serious adverse effects (overall, very few adverse effects occurred).

Conclusion

In people who have chronic fatigue syndrome, exercise improves fatigue, sleep, function, and self-rated overall health at the end of treatment

Exercise therapy vs control (usual care, relaxation techniques, or stretching) in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

*Serious adverse effects were worsening symptoms and function.