Pathological Pain Explains The Pain
Of Fibromyalgia

Pathological pain is the generic designation for all abnormal painful hypersensitivity manifestations!

Fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain - differences and similarities

This is a fascinating study for many reasons.

1- The authors, German neurologists obviously do not subscribe to the oft quoted " fibromyalgia central nervous system disorder ". We are convinced that this theory is wrong and many pointers to this do exist. Their theory is based on a muscle origin of the disease but it is not the subject of their study to elaborate on this. However, they cite muscle ischemia often enough to imagine what their thoughts are about it. This "muscle ischemia" joins our theory in that circulatory problems are part of the signs & symptoms explanation https://www.fibromyalgia-information-relief.com/fibromyalgia-disease.html

2- They compare the pain suffered in peripheral diabetic neuropathy with that of fibromyalgia. Their general conclusion is that the pains are very similar but for some dubious subgroups. They do state that fibromyalgia is not a neuropathic pain but that central sensitization happens in both diseases. Again they join us on the fact that fibromyalgia pain and neuropathic pain (as well as others) are part of a common group better named "pathological pain". Whilst the origin is peripheral, the central sensitization and pain memory give it its characters such as allodynia. It is also interesting that they note this hypersensitivity to be present for different modes such as thermal or pressure.

3- This pain similarity in both diseases is even more remarkable considering that one disease is a metabolic one and the other a muscular one in origin.

4- It was obvious that some subgroups would show some differences, futile in our opinion, because one disease is peripheral and limited to the legs and feet, the classical diabetic foot pain whilst the other one, fibromyalgia, is spread all over the body and deeper.

The results and opinions we have published in our book are comforted by this study, in particular the fact we consider the study of the pain characters as useless for the diagnosis and the treatment. Painful hypersensitivity has meaning for the patient and that's enough to indicate pathological pain!

Koroschetz J, Rehm SE, Gockel U, Brosz M, Freynhagen R, Tolle TR, Baron R. Fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain - differences and similarities. A comparison of 3057 patients with diabetic painful neuropathy and fibromyalgia. BMC Neurol. 2011 May 25;11(1):55

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