Skip to main content

Disruption Of Brain Signals May Play A Role in Fibromyalgia Pain

The term 'hyperalgesia" comes from the Greek language. It is defined as "an increased sensitivity to pain, which may be caused by damage to nociceptors or peripheral nerves."  





  .........New research findings published in Arthritis & Rheumatism suggest that a disruption in brain signals for reward and punishment...contributing to hyperalgesia in patients with fibromyalgia. 


"In patients with fibromyalgia there is an alteration in the central nervous system pain processingand a poor response to topical pain treatments, trigger point injections and opioids," said lead author Dr.Marco Loggia from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. "Our study examines the disruption of brain function involved in the individual experience of pain anticipation and pain relief."

This study consisted of 45 subjects: 31 of these had fibromyalgia, while the other 14 were identified as healthy. All subjects were subject to cuff pressure on the leg while an MRI was being performed. Dr. Loggia concludes, "Our findings suggest that fibromyalgia patients exhibit altered brain responses to punishing and rewarding events, such as expectancy of pain and relief of pain. These observations may contribute to explain the heightened sensitivity to pain, as well as the lack of effectiveness of pain medications such as opioids, observed in these patients. Future studies should further investigate the neurochemical basis underlying these dysfunctions."

So while, the jury is still out...it is good to know that the mystery of fibromyalgia is being studied extensively.  I hope for all of you in the storm of fibromyalgia...that the rainbow is soon at hand!

Source: Medical News Today, Wikipedia

Comments

  1. Fibromyalgia involves lot of conical pain and Fibromyalgia pain management help to reduce pain. Thanks for sharing valuable information on Fibromyalgia pain and treatment.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Living with Chronic pain hits the big screen!

Been to the movies lately?  Jennifer Aniston is on the big screen in a recent release titled "Cake." Her character, Claire is a victim of chronic pain...she belongs to a support group, where all of the members are coming to terms with the suicide of one of their members.  Of course, she also takes pain medication and addiction is another of her problems...and of course there's more! I guess I am writing this post just to bring readers' attention to the fact that Hollywood has become aware of the crisis that is chronic pain.  This movie is a testament to that. People that don't have to live with this kind of pain don't fully understand the whole story.  Maybe this movie will shed some light on the issues. Here is the official trailer for the movie: Sources: prweb;NorthJersey.com;YouTube

The Multimodal Approach to Pain Management

OK..so if you've been following this blog you will notice that there are a good number of ideas to help manage chronic pain.  You might ask yourself, "Which one of these ideas is best for me ?" I would suggest that you might try any number of these things, depending on your level of ability/disability, health care team recommendations, and your personal interests.  There are a number of reasons for doing this: 1) The patient is in control..with few exceptions, it is your decision what to try/not try and how many different things you want to experiment with at any time. 2) Non drug pain management ideas do not have any of the drug interactions or side effects that medications have.  You may have to set limits or modify activity according to personal circumstances, but usually it does not hurt to try any of them. 3)You usually do not need a prescription for most of the ideas I have described.  There are a few exceptions, such as physical therapy.  There ...

Beware Of The Tick!

It's tick season, everyone! And while we all know about Lyme Disease and its lingering effects, a new problem has entered the scene. According to the CDC, the Powassan virus is another tick-borne disease that has recently been recognized. The CDC says symptoms become apparent anywhere from one week to one month after infection. Symptoms include vomiting, weakness, confusion, loss of coordination, problems with speech and seizures. Approximately half of those infected by this virus have permanent neurological symptoms, which can include muscle wasting, problems with memory, and recurrent headaches. Many people who have been infected with Powassan virus required hospitalization and sometimes even respiratory support (i.e., a respirator). Treatment is focused on supportive measures. In the meantime, preventive measures are the best way to avoid Lyme disease, Powassan virus , or any other tick-borne virus.  You can read more about preventive measures by clicking here . Sour...