Welcome to another post from the ORIEMS FIT RESEARCH DIGEST, where we break down fascinating scientific research into stories that are easy to understand — even if you’re 70 or 14!
At the end of every blog post, you’ll find a link to the original research paper — so you can read the full study, download the PDF, or just double-check what we’re saying.
Let’s dive into today’s study 👇
❓ In
This study was done by scientists from the University of Verona and Borgo Roma Hospital in Italy — both very well-known institutions. The paper was peer-reviewed and published in Scientists, one of the world’s most trusted science journals, in 2025.
❓What Is This Research About?
They wanted to see if fibromyalgia— with how the brain estimates distances.
Like when you look at a ramp or a hallway and guess how far it is — could chronic pain actually mess with your brain’s judgment?
❓Who Was This Study Done On?
The scientists worked with 28 womenIn24 women without it (the control group).
Everyone wore VR goggles and looked at virtual ramps and flags placed at different distances.
❓ What?
In the virtual world:
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A flag would appear on a ramp — sometimes steep, sometimes flat.
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Participants had to guess how far the flag was — both while sitting and standing.
They wanted to see if chronic painaffected
❓What Did They Discover?
Here’s where it gets interesting:
👩⚕️ People without fibromyalgia guessed that the flag was further away when the ramp was steep. Their brains were imagining how hard it would be to walk up the ramp — this is called “mental simulation.”
😖 People with fibromyalgia, however, didn’t show this pattern. Their guesses didn’t change much whether the ramp was steep or flat. Chronic pain seemed to block the brain’s ability to imagine movement.
❓Why Does This Matter?
This tells us that chronic pain doesn’t just affect your muscles — it affects how your brain plans movement and even how you see space.
It might explain why some tasks feel harder, even if they look easy — your brain is relying on visual info only, not simulating the effort like others do.
❓What Kind of Data Did They Use?
✅ 28 women with fibromyalgia
✅ 24 women without chronic pain
✅ Each participant judged distances in VR while sitting and standing
✅ This
✅ They also measured 3 types of pain: muscular
✅ FM participants had 13.5 painful areas on average compared to 3.2 in healthy women
❓What’s the Big Takeaway?
People with fibromyalgia might see the world differently, not just because of the pain, but because their brains are working around it.
They may not use mental “rehearsal” of movement the same way others do — they use more visual strategy than body-based strategy.
❓So What? How Can This Help You?
Understanding how pain affects movement planning and perception could help healthcare workers develop smarter therapies — ones that consider both mental and physical pain pathways.
It also helps explain why EMS technology is often explored as a way to assist with movement and body awareness — though this particular study doesn’t focus on EMS.
📄 Research Paper Original Title:
“Pain and the Perception of Space in Fibromyalgia”
Link To Orginal Study: Click Here If you found this helpful or thought-provoking, share it with someone who might need it. Let’s keep learning together!
What do you think? Does this help explain things? Let me know if you want to tweak anything!
About ORIEMS FIT Research Digest
At ORIEMS FIT, we aim to inspire curiosity by simplifying cutting-edge research. Each post is designed to help you explore new ways to enhance your fitness and recovery. Share this post with anyone who could benefit from learning about EMS technology!
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