Effects of exercise training and photobiomodulation therapy (EXTRAPHOTO) on pain in women with fibromyalgia and temporomandibular disorder: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background Fibromyalgia (FM) is a syndrome most prevalent in women, in whom it is characterized mainly by chronic pain. An important issue is that many patients with FM are reported to have temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD), and the coexistence of these pathologies generates a clinical outcome of high complexity. The literature is unclear regarding an effective therapy for reducing pain in patients with both comorbidities. Exercise training and phototherapy (low-level laser therapy with light-emitting diode) are two of the approaches used to treat pain. Thus, the aim of this study is to assess the potential role of exercise training plus phototherapy in reducing chronic pain in women with FM and TMD. A further aim is to determine whether the interventions can improve quality of life and modulate endogenous serotonin.