Learn About Fibromyalgia Treatment Through Strength Training
We use science to help you manage your chronic pain
To empower you with knowledge, we’ve created a comprehensive guide below. We’ll take a deep dive into understanding fibromyalgia, its symptoms, and exactly how targeted strength training & exercise can help you find relief. This is a detailed resource, so we’ve broken it into clear sections. Feel free to explore at your own pace and jump to the topic that resonates with you most.
Did you know research indicates there is a link between fibromyalgia symptoms and weather – showing that low barometric pressure like ours in Colorado can worsen pain for some people? It’s true and Denver’s high-altitude climate, which has consistently lower barometric pressure, may contribute to fibromyalgia flare-ups.
While you cannot change how Colorado’s barometric pressure can trigger fibromyalgia symptoms, you can take control of how you manage your fibromyalgia symptoms. Strength training and physical therapy are proven, effective methods for managing those symptoms without medication. For those living in the Greater Denver Metropolitan Area, our Lakewood clinic offers targeted strength training physical therapy as a holistic, non-pharmacological treatment to combat painful fibromyalgia symptoms and build resilience against environmental triggers.
However there is also plenty of evidence showing that you can take control of the arthritic pain.
The Unique Benefits Working with a Physical Therapist
The Unique Benefits of Strength Training & Exercise for Osteoarthritis & Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment with a Physical Therapist
While strengthening muscles provides vital support to painful arthritic joints, the holistic benefits on fatigue, mood, sleep, and balance are just as important for restoring quality of life. Exercise is a therapy that treats your whole wellness and not just a single ailment, important because when you have osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, it can feel like your body’s foundation is compromised. However by focusing on strength training for your legs, hips, and core, you can actively rebuild that stable base of support (1).
Each exercise that strengthens these areas helps to better distribute weight and absorb shock, taking the burden off your painful joints and empowering you to move with more confidence and less discomfort. For example, movements like squats and single-leg stands offer compounding benefits for those with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Beyond simply building muscle, these exercises also:
- Reinforce Neuromuscular Control: They strengthen the crucial communication pathways between your brain and muscles, leading to more precise, controlled movements.
- Sharpen Balance and Coordination: By challenging your stability, these exercises enhance your body’s innate sense of balance, helping you feel steadier and more sure-footed.
- Build Confidence and Reduce Fall Risk: This improved stability and coordination directly translate to greater confidence in daily activities and a significantly lower risk of fall-related injuries.
Ultimately, strength training empowers you to move beyond managing osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and toward actively improving your overall resilience and daily quality of life – a therapeutic journey made safer and more effective when guided by one of our physical therapist.
As physical therapist we translate the general framework strength training into a personalized strategy, tailored specifically to your body, capabilities, and health condition. We are expert navigators ensuring every squat and stand is performed with precise form, maximizing muscle engagement while protecting vulnerable joints from strain.
We understand the unpredictable nature of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, know when to progress your training to build resilience and when to modify movements during flare-ups to maintain momentum safely – all to transform your efforts into real-world gains and life-changing reality.
Joint Stability & Pain Reduction
How Strength Training & Exercise is an Effective Osteoarthritis & Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment for Joint Stability & Pain Reduction
Strength training is a cornerstone of managing osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis because it directly addresses the condition’s debilitating effects on joint stability and pain (1). The fundamental principle is that stronger muscles provide a natural brace for inflamed and unstable joints (2). By building up the muscles surrounding an affected area, the mechanical stress and burden on the joint itself are significantly reduced (3). This muscular support system effectively offloads pressure from the compromised joint capsule and cartilage, which can lead to a substantial reduction in pain and a marked improvement in overall function (4).This approach is particularly vital for the osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis vulnerable hands and wrists where there can be a loss of grip strength and dexterity, making everyday tasks difficult. Strength training counteracts this by specifically targeting these forearm flexors, extensors, and intrinsic hand muscles. When a person grips or manipulates an object, strengthened muscles absorb a higher proportion of the force, shielding the delicate, inflamed joints. Your hands and wrists can be strengthened through low-impact exercises such as gently squeezing therapy putty, performing slow wrist curls with very light resistance, or spreading the fingers against a rubber band.
Similarly, when your knee becomes inflamed, the resulting pain and swelling can make it feel unstable, prompting you to favor a leg in your basic movements. However this leads to muscle imbalances and starts a vicious cycle of muscle weakening from disuse, providing less support, which in turn makes the joint even more unstable and painful. We can rebuild the muscles that support your knee by doing simple and safe exercises like straight leg raises, glute bridges, and controlled chair squats. Think of it this way:
- Stronger muscles on the front of your thigh act like powerful shock absorbers for the knee.
- Stronger muscles on the back of your thigh and in your buttocks provide stability, stopping the wobbly or unnatural movements that cause grinding and pain.
(1) American College of Rheumatology (ACR) / Arthritis Foundation Kolasinski, S. L., et al. (2020). 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hand, Hip, and Knee. Arthritis & Rheumatology, 72(2), 220-233.
(2) Arthritis Foundation, Exercise and Strength Training with Arthritis.
(3) Shakoor, N., & Block, J. A. (2006). Walking barefoot decreases loading on the lower extremity joints in knee osteoarthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatism, 54(9), 2923-2927.
(4) Bennell, K. L., et al. (2011). Efficacy of a physiotherapy rehabilitation program for individuals with knee osteoarthritis after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy: a randomized controlled trial. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. American volume, 93(10), 905-914.
Breaking the Cycle of Inactivity
How Strength Training & Exercise is Effective Osteoarthritis & Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment for Breaking the Cycle of Inactivity
For many people the greatest challenge in coping with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis is breaking the vicious cycle of pain and inactivity. The natural response of leaving a painful joint alone typically results in muscle loss (atrophy), increased joint stiffness, and often, weight gain (1). Inactivity usually results in greater stress on the joints, accelerating degeneration and increasing pain, further discouraging movement. Strength training and exercise reverses this debilitating cycle by methodically rebuilding the body’s muscular support system (2).
For example arthritic pain and instability in the knees (large weight-bearing joints) discourages walking or climbing stairs, and often leads to weight gain with a more sedentary lifestyle. This causes the muscles that stabilize the knee—the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes—to weaken rapidly, as they bear more weight and while the joint itself becomes stiffer.
When your muscles are weak, your body weight puts a lot of extra stress on the painful joint, making the downward spiral of pain and weakness even worse. However, a program of gentle strengthening exercises, like chair squats and leg raises, can break this cycle in three ways:
- They rebuild weak muscles, turning them into a strong “living brace” that supports and protects your joints.
- The movement helps your joints lubricate themselves so they can move more smoothly.
- The activity helps with weight management, which takes even more strain off your body.
All of this works together to reduce both pain and the physical stress on your joints.
Similarly, the cycle of inactivity proves just as damaging to the small, complex joints of the hands and wrists. When pain and swelling make gripping or fine motor tasks difficult, it’s natural to be avoided. This avoidance leads to the weakening of the forearm and hand muscles, causing grip strength to decline while the joints lose their range of motion to stiffness – and a pattern of disuse ensues. Gentle resistance exercises, such as using therapy putty or light bands, directly counteract this decline, rebuilds strength and restores the muscular support system needed to make daily tasks less painful, and break the cycle of inactivity (3).
Ultimately, in addition to muscle building, strength training and exercises reverses the negative consequences that stem from inactivity, and allows you to regain function and return to a more active life.
(1)The inflammatoy response, a mixed blessing for muscle homeostasis and plasticity.
(2) strength training is beneficial for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, improving muscle strength and aerobic capacity without increasing disease activity.
(3) Lamb, S. E., Williamson, E. M., Heine, P. J., et al. (2015). Exercises to improve function of the rheumatoid hand (SARAH): a randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, 385(9966), 421-429.
Improved Function and Mobility
How Strength Training & Exercise is Effective Osteoarthritis & Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment for Improved Function and Mobility
Our treatments are aimed to return you to enjoy your full spectrum of activities by actively restoring and enhancing your physical capabilities. Strength training bridges you to this goal, directly improving everyday function and mobility by rebuilding the body’s natural support structures. With a stronger body routine tasks like climbing stairs, lifting groceries, and all your physical endeavors will be boosted, your joints more flexible and their range of motion improved. Strength training is a bridge to gain functional mobility for large-scale movements that rely on the knees, hips, and core (1).For example rheumatoid arthritis affecting the knees can result in instability in your entire lower body making simply rising from a chair challenging. However, controlled chair squats specifically target the quadriceps and glutes, rebuilding the foundational strength you need to rise from any seat with ease and confidence. To regain the ability to get off the floor, exercises like glute bridges and straight leg raises build foundational hip and leg strength without stressing the joint. The gentle, deliberate motions of these exercises also help combat stiffness and lubricate the joint, increasing the range of motion essential for a normal walking gait.
Similarly, strength training can restore the manual dexterity that is often lost when osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis affects the hands and wrists (2). Weakness and instability in these joints results in poor grip strength and the inability of the forearm muscles to stabilize the wrist under load. Targeted exercises like squeezing therapy putty rebuilds the hand muscles required for a secure grip, performing wrist curls with light resistance strengthens the forearms to prevent the wrist from painfully buckling when lifting groceries. Motions like turning a key, buttoning a shirt or typing, everyday tangible things can be strengthened with slow forearm rotations exercises.
(1) The effect of a progressive resistance training program on the reactive strength index and measures of physical function in older adults”
(2) “Strengthening and stretching for rheumatoid arthritis of the hand (SARAH): a randomised controlled trial”
Bone Health & Inflammation Reduction
How Strength Training & Exercise is Effective Osteoarthritis & Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment for Bone Health and Inflammation Reduction
Beyond simply creating stronger muscles to support your joints, strength training offers two deeper benefits for people with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. First, it directly improves bone health, as weight-bearing exercises are proven to increase bone density (1). Second, it helps calm the immune system itself (2). Consistent strength training can lower the chronic inflammation throughout your body, which in turn helps regulate the overactive immune response that causes osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups. This is important because many with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis face a “triple threat” to their bone health:
- the disease’s chronic inflammation
- bone-thinning side effects from medications
- and pain-related inactivity
This combination makes the two main bones of the leg—the femur, which is the thigh bone, and the tibia, the main shin bone—much more likely to become weak and brittle from osteoporosis. Strength training directly counters this threat through weight-bearing exercises like squats or lunges. This controlled stress to the skeleton, according to Wolff’s Law (3), signals bone-building cells to deposit new minerals and reinforce the bone structure. While this is happening and as noted earlier, your contracting muscles release anti-inflammatory substances known as myokines into the bloodstream, which helps to lower your body’s inflammation that attacks the joints.
While not traditional weight-bearing joints, the wrists and forearms, common sites for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis related bone erosion and osteoporosis, also benefit from these effects. The stimulus needed for bone growth here is tension, thus with resistance exercises like wrist curls, the forearm muscles pull on their bony attachment points, triggering the mechanisms that build bone density. Thus strength training delivers a two-pronged biological therapy for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis by stimulating bone growth while simultaneously producing anti-inflammatory compounds.
(3) Wolf’s Law
Rewiring the Fibromyalgia Pain Matrix: The 2026 Evidence for Strength Training
Rewiring the Fibromyalgia Pain Matrix: The 2026 Evidence for Strength Training
For decades, the standard clinical approach for managing Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) heavily favored gentle, low-impact aerobic activity and flexibility exercises. However, pioneering clinical trials and systematic meta-analyses from 2026 have fundamentally shifted this paradigm. The latest medical literature establishes that progressive resistance training (RT)—the clinical framework for structured strength training—is not only safe but stands as one of the most effective interventions available to reduce pain intensity and reverse the neurological patterns of central sensitization. At Strength in Motion, we translate these latest scientific breakthroughs directly into tailored, symptom-contingent strength programming.
Fibromyalgia is primarily a disorder of central pain regulation rather than an injury of the muscles or joints. High-quality clinical data reveals that progressive strength training serves as a potent neurobiological intervention, stimulating endogenous opioid pathways, expanding neurotransmitter availability, and re-calibrating overactive pain networks in the brain and spinal cord.
The Strength in Motion Method: Precision Resistance Training
A landmark 2026 randomized controlled trial published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine evaluated the specific impact of combining Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) with progressive strength training (PNE+RT) in women with fibromyalgia. The study demonstrated that structured strength training delivers unique physiological adaptations that traditional protocols fail to achieve:
- Systemic Pain Sensitivity and Threshold Realignment: Progressive resistance training yields substantial, widespread improvements in pressure pain thresholds (PPT) across major muscle groups, including the trapezius and quadriceps. In plain terms, that means we are targeting your upper back and shoulders, along with the large muscles on the front of your thighs. This mechanical desensitization allows the body to tolerate normal physical touch and pressure without triggering a widespread pain response.
- Neuromuscular & Functional Recovery: Strength training triggers significant improvements in physical function and maximum grip strength. By using an initial low-to-moderate intensity profile (40% to 60% of a one-repetition maximum) and progressing cleanly through a structured matrix of sets and repetitions, individuals can safely build physical resilience.
- The Power of Multimodal Strength: While 2026 meta-analyses note that consistent land-based resistance regimens produce the most profound musculoskeletal adaptations beyond six months, the best global health-related quality of life outcomes are achieved when short, targeted strength sessions are delivered in a flexible, symptom-contingent manner.
Our expert physical therapy and strength programs eliminate the old, rigid models of exercise progression that frequently provoke severe symptom flare-ups. We integrate the precise parameters supported by the 2026 research, using specific progression criteria based on your real-time pain ratings. If a session triggers a prolonged increase in symptoms, your workload is instantly auto-regulated back to the previous stable baseline. This meticulous pacing ensures that you achieve the long-term benefits of structural strength, neuroplastic conditioning, and localized pain relief while remaining completely safe, comfortable, and in control of your rehabilitation journey.
End Notes
- *Effects of pain neuroscience education plus resistance training on pain, disability, and sensitization in women with fibromyalgia syndrome: A randomized controlled trial.* Complementary Therapies in Medicine (2026). Explains how a 12-week progressive resistance training program using dumbbells and bands directly optimizes maximum handgrip strength and significantly raises pressure pain thresholds in FMS patients.
- *Role of Exercise in Fibromyalgia Management: A Narrative Review of Mechanisms, Modalities, and Clinical Evidence.* Cureus (2026). Details the systemic neurobiological mechanisms of strength training, including increased beta-endorphin release, enhanced descending pain inhibition, and a downward regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and TNF-alpha.
- *Effects of exercise on pain, fatigue, and quality of life in people with fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.* Frontiers in Medicine (2026). A comprehensive meta-analysis verifying that structured, long-term exercise modalities consistently drive down central sensitization and symptom severity while permanently elevating global quality of life scores.