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Fatigue Not a Factor in Fibromyalgia Pain, Study Says
Posted 26 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, April 26 – Poor sleep is not a significant predictor of pain intensity and duration in patients with fibromyalgia, a new study says. Fibromyalgia patients often have difficulty sleeping, and University of Florida researchers wanted to determine whether lack of sleep is associated with higher levels of pain in these patients. The study included 74 adults with fibromyalgia who were followed for 14 days. The patients kept sleep diaries describing each night's sleep, and rated their pain every evening. The results showed that the four measures of sleep used in the study failed to predict pain levels. The effects of impaired sleep, such as fatigue and inactivity, may play more important roles in fibromyalgia patients' pain levels than sleep duration or insomnia, the researchers said. The study appears in the current issue of The Journal of Pain. Previous research has shown that ... Read more
Related support groups: Pain, Fibromyalgia, Fatigue
Obesity Linked to Worse Fibromyalgia Symptoms
Posted 8 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8 – Obese people are not only at greater risk for fibromyalgia, they are likely to experience more severe symptoms of the condition, such as chronic pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance and mood disorders, according to a new study. The findings suggest that weight-loss strategies should accompany treatment plans for overweight patients with fibromyalgia, a syndrome characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain that mainly affects women and has no known cure, according to researchers from the Mayo Clinic. "We see an association between body mass index with symptom severity and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia," study author Dr. Terry Oh, of Mayo Clinic's department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, said in a news release from the clinic. "This was the first study to look at distinct groups of obese patients and determine how weight correlates with ... Read more
Related support groups: Fibromyalgia, Obesity
Spouse's Reaction May Affect Pain Management
Posted 16 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Dec. 16 – Chronic pain can hinder communication between spouses, which, in turn, can impair the affected partner's ability to cope with the pain, according to a new study. Previous research has shown that validation of a spouse's emotions (showing respect and acceptance) promotes emotional control, trust and closeness, while invalidation of emotions (showing hostility or no interest) increases emotional distance and is associated with poor adjustment within the marriage and depression. This new study included 78 U.S. adults with chronic pain and their spouses. Women accounted for 58 percent of the spouses with pain. Low back pain was the most common type of major pain and the leading diagnoses were osteoarthritis, disc problems and fibromyalgia. The participants were interviewed for three hours, with the final 15 minutes focused on a difficult topic, such as family finances. ... Read more
Related support groups: Pain, Fibromyalgia, Osteoarthritis
Poor Sleep May Lead to Fibromyalgia in Women
Posted 14 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Nov. 14 – Sleep problems are associated with an increased risk of fibromyalgia in women, especially those who are middle-aged and older, a new study says. Fibromyalgia is a chronic musculoskeletal pain condition that affects more than 5 million adults in the United States. Women account for up to 90 percent of people with fibromyalgia, which typically begins in middle age. Previous research has found that insomnia, nighttime awakening and fatigue are common symptoms experienced by fibromyalgia patients, but it wasn't known if sleep problems contribute to the development of fibromyalgia. Norwegian researchers enrolled 12,350 healthy women, 20 years and older, with no musculoskeletal pain or movement disorders and followed them for 10 years. At the end of that time, 327 (2.6 percent) of the women had developed fibromyalgia. The study found that the adjusted relative risk of ... Read more
Related support groups: Fibromyalgia
Study Suggests Exercise May Help Memory of Fibromyalgia Patients
Posted 14 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
SUNDAY, Nov. 13 – Fibromyalgia patients who stopped taking medication and then exercised regularly for six weeks reported improved memory function and less pain, according to a small, new study. While the finding is encouraging, it does not suggest a potential change in clinical care for fibromyalgia patients, the study authors stressed. Senior author Dr. Brian Walitt, director of the Fibromyalgia Evaluation and Research Center at Georgetown University Medical Center, is scheduled to present the findings Sunday with co-researcher, Manish Khatiwada, at the Society of Neuroscience annual meeting, in Washington, D.C. Fibromyalgia is a disorder marked by widespread pain, fatigue, sleep and cognitive problems. It has no apparent cause and the pain is real, Walitt said, and likely originates from the central nervous system. It typically affects women more than men. Exercise has long been ... Read more
Related support groups: Fibromyalgia
Daily Record-Keeping May Boost Fibromyalgia Care
Posted 3 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Feb. 3 – Daily electronic records of symptoms can help fibromyalgia patients and their doctors better understand the condition, a new study shows. Researchers gave 81 women with fibromyalgia a personal digital assistant (PDA) device. The patients used their PDA to report pain, sleep problems, emotional distress and other issues three times a day for 30 days. The researchers at the University of Utah and University of Washington believed that this ability to immediately report symptoms would prove more effective than asking patients to recall symptoms at their periodic visits with their doctors. The study is published in the January issue of The Journal of Pain. The results showed that being able to analyze several measures of multiple symptoms over time can help clarify relationships among symptoms, the researchers said in a news release from the American Pain Society. For ... Read more
Related support groups: Fibromyalgia
Study Links Obesity to Greater Pain, Weakness in Fibromyalgia Patients
Posted 7 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Jan. 6 – Obese fibromyalgia patients suffer more severe symptoms such as pain, reduced flexibility and sleep disturbances than those of normal weight, a new study indicates. But the good news is that losing weight may bring a modicum of relief, other research suggests. Noting that pain issues are common in obese people, researchers from the University of Utah analyzed 215 patients with fibromyalgia, a chronic musculoskeletal pain disorder afflicting between 3 percent and 5 percent of Americans, most of them women. Nearly half of the study participants were obese, and another 30 percent were overweight, with the obese patients experiencing much greater pain to the touch in lower body areas, according to the research. One of the cardinal features of fibromyalgia is extreme pain upon palpation of at least 11 of 18 so-called tender points across the body. The obese fibromyalgia ... Read more
Related support groups: Fibromyalgia
Tai Chi May Provide Arthritis Relief
Posted 24 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 24 – Arthritis patients may gain physical and emotional relief from the ancient Chinese art of Tai Chi, finds a new study, the largest of its kind. Patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia felt better and moved more easily after taking twice-weekly classes in Tai Chi, a system of meditative exercise, researchers found. "It reduced pain, stiffness and fatigue, and improved their balance," said study lead author Leigh F. Callahan, an associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Smaller studies have also linked Tai Chi to similar benefits for people with arthritis, but colleagues had questioned the applicability of the findings to a larger population. In this study, in addition to evidence of mild to moderate relief from Tai Chi, participants reported gaining a better sense of physical ... Read more
Related support groups: Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis
Restless Legs Syndrome, Fibromyalgia Linked in Study
Posted 17 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Oct. 15 – People with fibromyalgia are 11 times more likely to have restless legs syndrome (RLS) than those in the general population, according to a new study. Fibromyalgia is a condition that can cause significant pain and fatigue. Women account for 80 to 90 percent of patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Its cause is unknown. The findings suggest that treating RLS – which is characterized by an unpleasant urge to move the legs, usually at night – may improve sleep and quality of life for people with fibromyalgia, the researchers said. RLS is often treated with drugs such as pramipexole or ropinirole. In this study, U.S. researchers compared 172 fibromyalgia patients, average age 50, with a control group of 63 healthy people, average age 41. The prevalence of RLS was about 10 times higher in the fibromyalgia group (93 percent of whom were female) than in the control group ... Read more
Related support groups: Fibromyalgia, Restless Legs Syndrome
Yoga May Combat Fibromyalgia Symptoms
Posted 14 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Oct. 14 – Yoga that includes gentle stretches and meditation may help alleviate the symptoms of fibromyalgia, a small study finds. Twenty-five women diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome, were enrolled in a two-hour yoga class that met once a week for eight weeks. Another group of 28 women diagnosed with the condition were put on a waiting list and told to continue their normal routine for dealing with fibromyalgia. After eight weeks, the yoga group reported improvements in both physical and psychological aspects of fibromyalgia, including decreased pain, fatigue, tenderness, anxiety and better sleep and mood. "The women were somewhat apprehensive when we started, but once they got into the rhythm of it they found it to be very helpful," said lead study author James Carson, a clinical psychologist and pain specialist at Oregon Health & Science University in ... Read more
Related support groups: Fibromyalgia
Tai Chi May Help Ease Fibromyalgia
Posted 18 Aug 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 18 – Fibromyalgia sufferers may find relief from the chronic pain condition by doing tai chi, new research finds. Researchers divided 66 people with fibromyalgia into two groups: one group did hour-long sessions of tai chi twice a week for 12 weeks; the other had a twice-weekly wellness education class followed by gentle stretching. At the end of 12 weeks, the tai chi group reported improvements in their scores on questionnaires regarding both physical and mental fibromyalgia symptoms. That included decreased pain and increased ability to do daily tasks without pain; less fatigue, depression and anxiety; and an overall better quality of life. Patients also reported better sleep quality and improved physical conditioning. The improvements were still evident at 24 weeks, according to the research reported in the Aug. 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. "It ... Read more
Related support groups: Fibromyalgia
More Clues To Fibromyalgia Pain
Posted 5 Aug 2010 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Aug. 5 – Fibromyalgia patients have more "connectivity" between brain networks and regions of the brain involved in pain processing, which may help explain why sufferers feel pain even when there is no obvious cause, a new study suggests. Researchers had 18 women with fibromyalgia undergo six-minute fMRI brain scans, and compared their results to women without the condition. Participants were asked to rate the intensity of the pain they were feeling at the time of the test. Some people reported feeling little pain, while others reported feeling more intense pain. Brain scans showed the connectivity, or neural activity, between certain brain networks and the insular cortex, a region of the brain involved in pain processing, was heightened in women with fibromyalgia compared to those without the condition. The connectivity to the insular cortex was even stronger in participants ... Read more
Related support groups: Fibromyalgia
Exercise, Weight Control May Keep Fibromyalgia at Bay
Posted 29 Apr 2010 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, April 29 – Women who are overweight or obese appear to have an increased risk of developing the chronic pain syndrome known as fibromyalgia, a new study suggests. If they are also sedentary, the risk is even greater, said lead researcher Paul Mork of Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. The study is published in the May issue of Arthritis Care & Research. Fibromyalgia is marked by widespread pain lasting more than three months. The pain strikes so-called "tender points" in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms and legs. The condition is also marked by fatigue without apparent cause, mood disturbances, sleep problems and headaches. More women than men have it, and experts don't thoroughly understand its cause. The condition may be due to dysfunction in the nervous system and other problems, and it is thought to be affected by genetic ... Read more
Related support groups: Fibromyalgia
Scientists Discover Substance That Causes Pain
Posted 28 Apr 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, April 28 – The human body produces a substance similar to capsaicin – which makes chili peppers hot – at sites of pain, and blocking production of this substance can ease pain, a new study shows. The findings may lead to the development of non-addictive painkillers, according to the researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. In work with mice, the scientists found that a family of fatty acids called oxidized linoleic acid metabolites (OLAMs) play an important role in the biology of pain. "This is a major breakthrough in understanding the mechanisms of pain and how to more effectively treat it," senior investigator Kenneth Hargreaves, chair of the Department of Endodontics in the Dental School at the UT Health Sciences Center, said in an UT news release. "These data demonstrate, for the first time, that OLAMs constitute a new family of ... Read more
Related support groups: Pain, Back Pain, Headache, Fibromyalgia, Migraine, Muscle Pain, Neuralgia, Breakthrough Pain, Migraine Prevention, Sciatica, Neck Pain, Herniated disc, Scoliosis, Migraine Prophylaxis, Cluster Headaches
Brain Imaging Study Sheds Light on Fibromyalgia
Posted 19 Jun 2009 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, June 19 – Changes in the levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine may explain brain gray matter reductions experienced by patients with fibromyalgia, a new study suggests. Previous research found an association between fibromyalgia and reductions in gray matter, but the cause wasn't known, the researchers wrote. In this new study, Dr. Patrick B. Wood, of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, and colleagues used MRI to compare the brains of 30 women with fibromyalgia and 20 healthy women of the same age. Significant reductions in gray matter were found in the fibromyalgia patients, confirming previous findings. The new study, published in the June issue of the Journal of Pain, also found that fibromyalgia patients showed a strong correlation of dopamine metabolism levels and gray matter density in areas of the brain where dopamine is known to control ... Read more
Related support groups: Fibromyalgia
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