The Movement Imagery Ability in Patients With Familial Mediterranean Fever

Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by recurrent and self-limited attacks of fever associated with abdominal, chest, and joint pain. Previous studies have shown that individuals with FMF are more limited in terms of physical function than the normal population, and depression and anxiety are more common in these individuals. Being a lifetime disease, quality of life, and mental health can be affected due to serious complications such as attack frequency, disease resistance, and sometimes amyloidosis. Mental imagery is the ability to imaging the movement without doing the physical execution of the movement. During the last years, mental imagery is used in clinical practice as a tool for the treatment of chronic pain. Pain differs in patients with rheumatic diseases. Stress is one of the predictors of pain in patients with FMF. Even if the frequency is variable when attacks happen they may affect patients physically and their mental health and the ability to cope. A main function of imagery is to aid the self-regulation of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. To use imagery for motor and motivational outcomes firstly the imagery ability levels should be measured.