# FYI Harvard health



## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

FYI"Fibromyalgia pain is distinct on brain scans The four million Americans -- mainly women -- suffering from fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) must deal with the chronic musculoskeletal pains, headaches, stomach problems, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and depression that characterize FMS. But doctors haven't found an underlying physiological cause, so many people believe that it's an emotional disorder. But one study shows that gently squeezing the thumb of a fibromyalgia patient creates stronger-than-normal pain signals in her brain. This research used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan the study volunteers' brains while they were in pain. A small piston-like device was used to apply pressure to the base of the left thumbnail of FMS patients and people without FMS (controls). A pressure that FMS patients felt as "moderate pain" caused only "faint to very weak pain" in the control group. To feel moderate pain, the controls required twice as much pressure. When the fibromyalgia patients received the amount of pressure they considered painful, blood flow increased in 12 brain regions; the same pressure activated only 2 locations in the brains of the control subjects. And it took twice the amount of pressure on the thumbs of control subjects to get a response similar to that of FMS patients. These results suggest that a biological mechanism contributes to fibromyalgia sufferers' increased sensitivity to pain. If you have FMS (or chronic pain or headaches) exercise may be the last thing on your mind. But it could be one of the best things you could do for yourself. In one study, women with FMS reported improvements in stiffness, pain, fatigue, anxiety, and depression after a 20-week program that included strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular workouts. Another study found that fibromyalgia patients felt better and slept better after eight weeks of twice-weekly workouts on weight machines. (For exercise tips and information on the other benefits of exercise, read about the Harvard Medical School report at www.health.harvard.edu/E.


----------



## Guest (Apr 16, 2004)

I swear by exercise, Eric.... if I didn't stretch 'n flex as much as I do and engage in moderate aerobic exercise on a regular basis, my pain and fatigue would be a whole lot worse.But there are times like this evening, when I know I've overdone and so I am "resting"...


----------

