Fibromyalgia and How Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy Can Now Help Sufferers

Hello to my friends, colleagues and fellow advocates. You may be aware of this more recent research, which is just one of many, but as an advocate for change and inclusion of this most important piece in diagnosing and treating fibromyalgia, I felt a need to share it.

Giamberardino MA, Affaitati G, Fabrizio A Costantini R.

2011. Effects of Treatment of Myofascial Trigger Points on the Pain of

Fibromyalgia. Cure Pain Headache Rep. [May 5 Epub ahead of print]. “FMS is

mainly rooted in the central nervous system, while TrPs have a peripheral

origin. However, the nociceptive impulses from TrPs may have significant impact

on symptoms of FMS, probably by enhancing the level of central sensitization

typical of this condition. Several attempts have been made to assess the effects

of treatment of co-occurring TrPs in FMS. We report the outcomes of these

studies showing that local extinction of TrPs in patients with fibromyalgia

produces significant relief of FMS pain. Though further studies are needed,

these findings suggest that assessment and treatment of concurrent TrPs in FMS

should be systematically performed before any specific fibromyalgia therapy is

undertaken.”