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(Modena June 20-21, 2000)

Saggini R, Vecchiet J, Iezzi S, Racciatti D, Affaitati G, Bellomo RG, Pizzigallo E.

Physical Therapy Institute, Department of Medicine and Aging, G. D'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy.

AIM: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is an illness characterised by disabling fatigue of uncertain aetiology and other nonspecific symptoms. Typically, CFS patients complain of a severe fatigue made worse by exercise, with a consistent reduction of working activity. A physical deconditioning could explain CFS features as well as a neuromuscular dysfunction, of central or peripheric origin.

METHODS: Ten CFS patients were enrolled in a protocol of a rehabilitative treatment over a six-month period: they underwent a submaximal and predominantly aerobic exercise with a reduced O(2) consumption using a Galileo 2000 system that provides mechanical vibrations characterised by sinusoid vertical sollecitations.

Before and after such treatment, all patients underwent a pressure pain thresholds profile, an evaluation of physical and psychosocial parameters using the visual analogue scale (VAS) of Scott-Huskisson, and a muscle performance analysis by the CIBEX 6000 dynamometer.

RESULTS: After the six-month period of study there was an overall improvement of the above described parameters as compared to the basal determinations.

CONCLUSION: We conclude that the rehabilitative exertion provides an useful treatment for CFS patients particularly to realize an effective training of the explosive strength.

PMID: 16557212 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]