Ickmans, Kelly, Meeus, Mira, De Kooning, Margot et al. · Physical therapy · 2014 · DOI
This study looked at whether better physical recovery after exercise could predict better thinking skills in people with ME/CFS, with and without fibromyalgia. Researchers tested 78 people—some with ME/CFS only, some with both ME/CFS and fibromyalgia, and healthy controls—measuring their attention, focus, and memory, then their muscle recovery after an arm exercise test. They found that in ME/CFS patients, better physical recovery was linked to better cognitive performance, and the group with both conditions showed more thinking problems than healthy controls.
This study bridges two understudied areas: the relationship between physical and cognitive dysfunction in ME/CFS, and the differences between ME/CFS with and without comorbid fibromyalgia. Understanding whether improving physical function could enhance cognitive symptoms has implications for rehabilitation strategies and highlights that ME/CFS is not a homogeneous condition, which is crucial for tailoring treatments.
This cross-sectional study cannot establish causation—it cannot prove that improving physical recovery causes better cognitive function, only that they are associated. The small sample sizes per group and single time-point assessment limit generalizability. The study also does not explain the mechanisms underlying these associations or whether the relationship differs across broader ME/CFS populations.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Ickmans, Kelly, Meeus, Mira, De Kooning, Margot, Lambrecht, Luc, Pattyn, Nathalie, & Nijs, Jo (2014). Can recovery of peripheral muscle function predict cognitive task performance in chronic fatigue syndrome with and without fibromyalgia?. Physical therapy. https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20130367
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-ickmans-2014-can-recovery,
author = {Ickmans, Kelly and Meeus, Mira and De Kooning, Margot and Lambrecht, Luc and Pattyn, Nathalie and Nijs, Jo},
title = {Can recovery of peripheral muscle function predict cognitive task performance in chronic fatigue syndrome with and without fibromyalgia?},
journal = {Physical therapy},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.2522/ptj.20130367},
note = {PubMed: 24363336},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ickmans-2014-can-recovery},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ickmans-2014-can-recovery
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