Do women with endometriosis move less?

Endometriosis is a chronic disease that affects not only women's health and fertility, but also their daily lives. A recent study in Brazil highlights that physical activity in women with endometriosis can be significantly reduced due to chronic pelvic pain, which negatively affects functional capacity, muscle strength and mobility.

Key points of the study

The results of the research show that women with endometriosis have lower handgrip strength, weaker lower limb muscle strength, reduced mobility and functional capacity. These problems significantly impair quality of life and limit the ability to carry out daily activities.

Important findings:

• Women with endometriosis should be encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle and to exercise regularly to improve their functional capacity and quality of life.
• Clinically developed strategies and appropriate counselling programmes would be useful to improve the reduced physical performance of women with endometriosis due to pelvic pain.

Details of the research

The aim of the study was to compare physical activity levels between women with and without endometriosis. A total of 115 women took part in the study, 54 of whom were patients with endometriosis and 61 healthy women without suspected endometriosis, who were included in the control group.

The researchers used a variety of objective tests to measure physical performance, such as handgrip strength, a 6-minute walk test, walking speed and standing up from a chair. Scores on all tests were significantly worse in the endometriosis group, even after adjusting for confounders and post-correcting for them.

Strengths and limitations

This is the first study to investigate the association between endometriosis and physical performance using validated objective tests. However, the cross-sectional design of the study and the recruitment of participants from a specialised centre present some limitations. Furthermore, women with asymptomatic or early-stage endometriosis were not included in the study sample.

Summary

Endometriosis is a systemic, chronic, inflammatory disease that causes significant pain and loss of quality of life. Repeated experiences of intense pain cause central sensitisation in the brain, often further impairing physical activity. The study by Brazilian researchers highlights that women with endometriosis have significantly reduced physical performance and are encouraged to actively engage in physical exercises and healthy lifestyle habits.

The authors emphasise that women with endometriosis need proper counselling and support to improve their physical condition and quality of life. A healthy lifestyle and regular exercise not only increase physical capacity but also play a key role in pain management.

Source : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38666082/

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