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“FRAME: Fibromyalgia Realist Approach to Mapping Exercise Interventions,” has been awarded €45,000 (£38,965) funding through the prestigious European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) Healthcare Professional in Rheumatology (HPR) Research Grant. 

FRAME is an international collaboration involving partners in the UK, Spain, and Greece, and will work closely with patient partners from all three countries. 

The project aims to better understand how and why exercise interventions work for people living with fibromyalgia, and how these approaches can be improved to better meet patients’ needs.

Fibromyalgia is a complex chronic pain condition which is estimated to affect between 2-4% of the global population. Exercise is a core therapeutic intervention, yet its effectiveness varies widely across individuals and settings, and adherence is generally low.

The project will explore which types of exercise interventions work best, for whom, and under what circumstances, adopting a realist approach. The findings will help inform more effective and patient-centred exercise programmes for people living with fibromyalgia as well as clinical practice guidelines.

Dr Simone Battista, Research Fellow at the Centre for Human Movement and Rehabilitation, who will lead the project from the �׸���Ƭ, said: “Fibromyalgia is a complex condition and can be difficult to manage. We know exercise can make a real difference for people living with fibromyalgia, but it doesn’t work the same way for everyone. This project is about going beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to understand what works best, for whom, and under what circumstances. We hope this can help more people set themselves up for success when introducing exercise as a way of managing fibromyalgia.”