Study Suggest Cause for Fibromyalgia Pain

(Ivanhoe Newswire) – There may finally be an explanation for the pain fibromyalgia patients feel.

A new report from the United Kingdom finds the unexplained pain is caused by a mismatch between sensory and motor systems.

Researchers asked 29 patients to look at the reflection of one of their arms while they moved the other one - which was hidden behind the mirror - in a different direction. This created a mismatch between what the brain sees through sensory input and what it feels through the motor system.

26 of the patients said they felt a transient increase in pain, temperature change, or heaviness in their hidden limb – all symptoms of a “flare up” of their condition. Researchers say this suggests a mismatch between sensory and motor neurons could cause fibromyalgia.

“Nearly all of the group reported an increase in the sensations connected with their condition in the hidden limb,” researcher Dr. Candy McCabe, University of Bath, United Kingdom, was quoted as saying. “This provides strong evidence that sensory-motor conflict is at the heart of this condition.”

McCabe adds as researchers begin to understand more about fibromyalgia they can take steps towards how to treat it in the future.

Fibromyalgia patients complain of widespread pain, multiple tender points, stiffness, problems sleeping, and fatigue. Most patients are women. The condition usually develops between the ages of 30 and 60, but it can strike at any age.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

SOURCE: Rheumatology, 2007;46:1587-1592

[email protected]
Copyright © 2007 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
2745 West Fairbanks Avenue
Winter Park, Florida 32789
(407) 740-0789

P.O. Box 865
Orlando, Florida 32802