Fibromyalgia

Between daily news and conferences around the country, it was a busy year in fibromyalgia research.

A new study out of Ireland examined the prevalence of extra-articular manifestations in axial spondyloarthritis, and found that women were at significantly higher risk for inflammatory bowel disease and uveitis than men.

A single-center cross-sectional study has found elevated rates of fibromyalgia in patients with various forms of arthritis, including psoriatic arthritis. It joins previous studies that observed that the two painful conditions sometimes coincide.

Many patients with a variety of chronic pain conditions think negatively about how it will affect their sleep – which ends up leading to worse sleep outcomes. A study from the University of Warwick in England shows just how powerful these negative thoughts are.

Fibromyalgia is notoriously difficult to diagnose. But a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) may have found a brain signature that red flags the disease.

Patients experiencing pain from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) might find relief from an unlikely source.

“Physical exercise is an essential component of any treatment for fibromyalgia, and plenty of studies have demonstrated that low-impact aerobic exercise offers the most benefits," said Jamil Natour, MD, PhD.

Observed improvements were not statistically significant above placebo, and there remains no approved medication for adolescent sufferers of fibromyalgia.

In an extensive review of previous studies and trials, the European League Against Rheumatism has assigned recommendations for and against various pharmacological and non-pharmacological fibromyalgia treatments.

You may have seen reports on the “treatment” on TV or heard that some of Beverley Hills’ richest citizens are raving about it, but whole body cryotherapy (WBC) doesn’t yet have the data to back up the many health benefits claimed by its boosters.

What happens when someone with psoriatic arthritis also has fibromyalgia? Researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel were determined to find out.

The Fibromyalgia Rapid Screening Tool (FiRST) can help physicians make the determination, but just how reliable is it?

Pain medications can often cause side effects such as dizziness and sleepiness; but little do pregnant women know that they could be at risk for birth defects when taking pregabalin.

Men diagnosed with multiple sclerosis often have higher blood pressure than women, in addition to higher levels of diabetes, epilepsy, depression, and anxiety.

People with fibromyalgia may try different pharmacologic approaches, but which one is really the most effective?

Medical cannabis significantly lowers the use of opioids in patients with chronic pain, according to a new study from the University of Michigan (U-M).

A new study found that combining two well-known medications for fibromyalgia is better than either therapy on its own.

The first study to investigate the link between fibromyalgia and stroke risk revealed telling results across all ages and sexes.

Fibromyalgia and sexual dysfunction are both conditions that affect more women than men; and now it looks like those who have the former are more likely to have the latter – especially if they have depression or anxiety.

The benefits of acupuncture for fibromyalgia pain remain inconclusive despite extended research. However, a new study may have found the factor that separates successes from failure.

A recent report found there is not nearly enough scientific research being conducted on the effects of marijuana and other cannabinoids on rheumatic diseases.

It is possible for patients to have both fibromyalgia (FM) and spondyloarthritis (SpA), and the co-existence of the two conditions can change disease activity and treatment effectiveness, according to a recent study.

When more and more women with fibromyalgia began seeking care for pelvic pain syndromes, researchers from Oregon Health & Science University set out to examine the connection in a larger group of patients.

Acupuncture, along with two other pain relief methods, proved to be insufficient in providing the analgesia that patients with fibromyalgia crave.

Fibromyalgia and migraine headaches are just two pain conditions that debilitate millions of people. A new pain-relieving device has just been approved for both of the conditions, but there’s a catch.

Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CWP) felt throughout the body is a global problem that affects an estimated 10% to 15% of the general population, British researchers have found. But some societies report far more CWP than others.

The past 12 months have brought new research on fibromyalgia treatment, comorbidities, and quality of life and made for a promising future.

If copper clothing is on your list of options to treat chronic pain, you might want to rethink that one.

It's been well established that patients with fibromyalgia have a poorer quality of sleep, and now a drug is showing positive results in combatting this common symptom.

It may be easy to write a prescription for opioids in hopes that they will do the trick for patients struggling with fibromyalgia pain. But the best path towards effective analgesia may not require medication at all.