Peinado-Rubia, Ana Belén, Osuna-Pérez, María Catalina, Núñez-Fuentes, David et al. · Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2024 · DOI
Researchers created a shorter version of a balance and movement test (JAEN-10) to measure physical problems in people with fibromyalgia. The new 10-question test works just as well as the original 20-question version but takes less time to complete, which is helpful for people who get tired easily. The test successfully identified people with fibromyalgia and those at risk of falling.
Many ME/CFS patients experience balance problems, dizziness, and postural difficulties similar to those seen in fibromyalgia. A validated, shorter assessment tool reduces patient fatigue burden during clinical evaluation while maintaining diagnostic accuracy—a critical consideration for conditions where exertion worsens symptoms. This work may inform development of efficient assessment methods for neuromotor dysfunction across related conditions.
This study does not establish whether the JAEN-10 works equally well in men, other age groups, or patients with ME/CFS specifically—only in women with fibromyalgia. The cross-sectional design cannot determine causality or whether balance dysfunction is primary or secondary to other disease mechanisms. Results cannot be generalized to other neurological or post-viral conditions without further validation.
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 →
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