Recent Fibromyalgia Research

Hospital for Special Surgery is particularly active in fibromyalgia (FM) research. Widespread pain is the hallmark of fibromyalgia. In addition to studying mechanisms of this pain, HSS focuses its research efforts on other frequent symptoms of fibromyalgia, including fatigue and cognitive (thinking) difficulties. Researchers plan to use the results of their work to design potential treatments.

Other current research looks at how people process pain, how this condition may be caused and potential new treatments.

One study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to see how the brain works in response to pain - in people with and without fibromyalgia.[1] Researchers applied a moderately painful pressure to the thumbnails of both groups. While the control group (those who did not have FM) barely felt any amount of pain, those with FM did feel it. Similarly, the controls barely showed any activity in the parts of the brain that had been "turned on" in the FM group.

So, the same level of pain applied to both groups caused an increase in the pain messages to the brain in only those with FM. Further, when only mild pressure was applied, a mere two regions of the brain were "turned on" in controls. The same pressure lit up 13 regions in those with FM. This showed that those with FM have a higher level of pain sensitivity. This research helped identify areas of the brain where pain processing is different in those with FM. And it suggests that those with FM have real differences in how their brains process pain. So if you have fibromyalgia, your brain processes pain differently. Pain really feels worse to you than people without the disease.

Another study reviewed research on the possible causes of this abnormal pain sensitivity.[2] They tried to come up with a theory that could be tested in the laboratory. They think that FM may be a result of two problems that interact: environmental stressors and some abnormal function of your nervous system (which includes the brain) and your endocrine system (which produces hormones). They seem to work together to change the way the central nervous system works - leading to abnormal sensitivity to pain. This suggests that research looking for new treatments should focus on changing both stressors and brain functions that influence pain sensitivity.

Yet another study looked at the benefits of cardiovascular fitness exercise in people with FM.[3] Half of the FM patients participated in an aerobic exercise program, while the other half participated in a program to learn relaxation and flexibility. At the end of the program, those who had participated in active exercise had a much better improvement in their condition than those in the relaxation/flexibility program. They had fewer tender points and FM was having less impact on their daily lives. These benefits were maintained a year later. The researchers concluded that a prescribed program of aerobic exercise with a slowly increasing level of difficulty is a simple and effective treatment for fibromyalgia.