a Institute of Health and Society, Medical Faculty , University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway.
b Faculty of Health and Welfare , Satakunta University of Applied Sciences , Pori , Finland.
Disabil Rehabil. 2019 Feb;41(4):422-429. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2017.1395085. Epub 2017 Oct 26.
Fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic widespread pain and an array of other symptoms. It is less common among men than among women and the results concerning the severity of men's symptoms are contradictory. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the impacts of fibromyalgia on men's daily life and work ability.
The data were collected through life story interviews of five men with fibromyalgia.
The results of a narrative analysis are presented in a form of two model narratives: "Adjusting the life to match the illness" and "Being imprisoned by the pain". The first narrative is a description of finding a balance between the illness and wellness, whereas the second is an account of debilitating symptoms, unsuccessful treatment, and rehabilitation interventions.
The results suggest that adjusting one's activities may help to manage the symptoms and to support work ability in many cases but for some patients the experience of feeling healthy or pain free might be nothing but a fading memory. Narrative approach is well applicable to rehabilitation of patients with fibromyalgia: an illness narrative may help the patient and professionals to understand the situation better and to set realistic and relevant goals for rehabilitation. Implications for rehabilitation In addition to chronic pain, men with fibromyalgia suffer from daytime tiredness and cognitive challenges that substantially interfere with their work ability and daily functioning. Vocational rehabilitation interventions, including e.g., adjustments of work tasks and hours, should be started early on to support work ability. The results indicate that psychosocial support is needed to improve health related quality of life of patients with severe and complex symptoms, especially if return-to-work is not an option. Men with fibromyalgia seem to lack peer support both in face-to face groups and in on-line groups. "All-male" support groups could be explored in rehabilitation settings in the future. Using a narrative approach in rehabilitation might result in a shared understanding of the patient's situation. This could help the professionals to set more individual, realistic, and relevant goals for rehabilitation, which in turn might improve rehabilitation outcomes.
纤维肌痛的特征是慢性广泛性疼痛和一系列其他症状。它在男性中的发病率低于女性，而关于男性症状严重程度的结果则存在矛盾。本研究的目的是阐明纤维肌痛对男性日常生活和工作能力的影响。
通过对五名患有纤维肌痛的男性进行生活故事访谈收集数据。
叙事分析的结果以两个模型叙述的形式呈现：“调整生活以适应疾病”和“被疼痛囚禁”。第一个叙述是在疾病和健康之间找到平衡的描述，而第二个叙述是关于衰弱症状、治疗失败和康复干预的描述。
结果表明，调整活动可能有助于在许多情况下管理症状并支持工作能力，但对于一些患者来说，感觉健康或没有疼痛的体验可能只是一个逐渐消逝的记忆。叙事方法非常适用于纤维肌痛患者的康复：疾病叙事可以帮助患者和专业人员更好地理解情况，并为康复设定现实和相关的目标。
康复意义 除了慢性疼痛外，患有纤维肌痛的男性还会遭受白天疲劳和认知挑战，这些会严重干扰他们的工作能力和日常生活功能。职业康复干预措施，包括例如，调整工作任务和时间，应尽早开始以支持工作能力。结果表明，需要心理社会支持来改善严重和复杂症状患者的健康相关生活质量，特别是如果无法重返工作岗位。患有纤维肌痛的男性似乎在面对面小组和在线小组中都缺乏同伴支持。未来可以在康复环境中探索“全男性”支持小组。在康复中使用叙事方法可能会导致对患者情况的共同理解。这可以帮助专业人员为康复设定更个性化、现实和相关的目标，从而改善康复结果。
