More Fibromyalgia News

Computer Problems in Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia News

Problems experienced by people with arthritis when using a computer. Baker NA, Rogers JC, Rubinstein EN, Allaire SH, Wasko MC. Arthritis Rheum. 2009 May 15;61(5):614-22. Here is a new study that shows that amongst people with arthritis, fibromyalgia patients have the most problems in using computers. The usual culprits are: . chair . keyboard . mouse . monitor

More studies are needed.

Great care must be taken to position, height of chair in relation to keyboard and monitor. Remember also to get up and walk a bit around every 15 minutes to avoid stiffness and more pain.

Fibromyalgia News. Lack of Muscle Relaxation: More Proof

Fibromyalgia News:Another study shows a possible lack of muscle relaxation in FMS

Muscle modifications in fibromyalgic patients revealed by surface electromyography (SEMG) analysis. Bazzichi L, Dini M, Rossi A, Corbianco S, De Feo F, Giacomelli C, Zirafa C., Ferrari C, Rossi B, Bombardieri S. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2009 Apr 15;10(1):36

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Several studies have been carried out in order to investigate surface electromyography (SEMG) response on fibromyalgic (FM) patients. Some studies failed to demonstrate differences between FM patients and healthy individuals while others found differences in SEMG parameters. Different muscular region have been analyzed in FM patients and heterogeneity is also produced because of the different ways in which the SEMG technique is used. The aims of this study were to evaluate muscle modifications by SEMG analysis in FM women with respect to a sample of healthy controls and to investigate the relationships between SEMG parameters and the clinical aspects of the disease. METHODS: SEMG was recorded in 100 FM women (48.10+/-11.96 yr) and in 50 healthy women (48.60+/-11.18 yr), from the tibialis anterior and the distal part of vastus medialis muscle during isometric contraction. Initial values and rate of change of median spectral frequency (MDF) and conduction velocity (CV) of the SEMG signal were calculated. The clinical parameters "Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire", pain, tender points, tiredness were evaluated and the relationships between these data and the SEMG results were also studied. For the statistical analysis Mann-Whitney test, chi-square test and Spearman correlation were used.

RESULTS: MDF absolute values and the so-called Fatigue Index (FI) were significantly lower (p<0.001) in both muscles studied in FM patients (MDF: 93.2 microV; FI: 1.10, 0.89) with respect to healthy controls (MDF: 138.2 microV; FI: 2.41, 1.66) and a smaller reduction in the percentage values of MDF was observed in FM patients vs controls (22% vs 38%). A significant correlation was found between the SEMG parameter decrement of normalized median frequency (MNF) (%) and seriousness of FM (evaluated by means of tender points).

CONCLUSIONS: We have found some interesting muscle modifications in FM patients with respect to healthy controls, regarding MDF, CV and FI values which resulted significantly lower in FM. Patients might have a different fiber recruitment or a possible atrophy of type II fibers suggesting that they are not able to reach muscle relaxation.

The Central Pain Theory: Another Study Against It!

Fibromyalgia News

Comment:The central pain theory to explain fibromyalgia is based on the fact that there are changes in brain function in fibromyalgia patients. However those changes are present in any chronic pain condition. Moreover, Central Pain is a very specific condition that always exists with a lesion of the central nervous system. No lesion of the central nervous system has ever been recorded in fibromyalgia. Here is another study that cannot find any. The changes in the brain are secondary to the chronic pain condition and not the explanation! Fibromyalgia is a muscle disease!

Hsu MC, Harris RE, Sundgren PC, Welsh RC, Fernandes CR, Clauw DJ, Williams DA. No consistent difference in gray matter volume between individuals with fibromyalgia and age-matched healthy subjects when controlling for affective disorder. Pain. 2009 Apr 15.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is thought to involve abnormalities in central pain processing. Recent studies involving small samples have suggested alterations in gray matter volume (GMV) in brains of FM patients. Our objective was to verify these findings in a somewhat larger sample using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), while controlling for the presence of affective disorders (AD). T1-weighted magnetic resonance image (MRI) brain scans were obtained on 29 FM patients with AD, 29 FM patients without AD, and 29 age-matched healthy controls (HCs) using a 3T scanner. Segmentation, spatial normalization, and volumetric modulation were performed using an automated protocol within SPM5. Smoothed gray matter segments were entered into a voxel-wise one-way ANOVA, and a search for significant clusters was performed using thresholding methods published in previous studies (whole-brain threshold of p<.05 correcting for multiple comparisons; region-of-interest (ROI) threshold of p.001 uncorrected, or p<.05 small- volume corrected). The whole-brain analysis did not reveal any significant clusters. ROI-based analysis revealed a significant difference in left anterior insula GMV among the three groups (xyz={-28, 21, 9}; p=.026, corrected). However, on post-hoc testing, FM patients without AD did not differ significantly from HC with respect to mean GMV extracted from this cluster. A significant negative correlation was found between mean cluster GMV and scores of trait anxiety (State-Trait Personality Inventory, Trait Anxiety scale; rho=-.470, p<.001). No other significant clusters were found on ROI-based analysis. Our results emphasize the importance of correcting for AD when carrying out VBM studies in chronic pain.

"Fibromyalgia is not life-threatening and does not reduce life expectancy"? Rubbish!

When talking about death, we are facing a daunting task: we will all die! So, in term of chances of dying, we have a 100% probability.

When talking in term of fibromyalgia, because it is a genetic disease, there is no cure so any fibromyalgia sufferer will die with the disease!

So, any fibromyalgia patient has a probability of 100% of dying carrying the disease!

Already we see the difficulties of making a statement such as "fibromyalgia is not life-threatening and does not reduce life expectancy".

Good sense says that any disease tends to reduce life expectancy.

It is already a stupid statement to say that fibromyalgia is not crippling. Many fibromyalgia sufferers do become crippled! It does not say that all of them become crippled but some do!

In fact, not all genetic carriers have signs of fibromyalgia. They need an environmental factor: the lack of magnesium. And they need a trigger!

No study has been done about fibromyalgia life expectancy. So at best we can say that we don't know. It does not mean that it does not reduce life expectancy!

At worst, we can say that all epidemiological studies on magnesium deficiency have shown that all causes of mortality are increased! It is therefore logical and good sense to say that fibromyalgia sufferers (those with signs and symptoms) have a higher probability of a shortened life expectancy. What about those that are crippled by fibromyalgia? It seems obvious that their life expectancy is even shorter!

Stupid statements to the contrary, even made under the name of health organisations such as the NHS, do not serve the fibromyalgia sufferers who are trying to claim their rights. If the trigger is a car accident, the claims values that are the rights of the claimants are undermined by such statements.

Science and justice have nothing to do with a downplaying statement. Lying to decrease anxiety may seem to leave more hope but it certainly does not carry any "humanity".

Fibromyalgia patients have the right to know and that is their human right!

Sexual function in women sufferers

Here is a very interesting study showing that many FM women sufferers have sexual dysfunction. They also showed that those with major depression did not have more sexual dysfunction.

This problem should be specifically treated.

J Urol. 2005 Aug;174(2):620-3. Sexual dysfunction in female subjects with fibromyalgia. Tikiz C et al

Don't forget, the more recent fibromyalgia news are on the last page!

Back to page 1, 3