Fibromyalgia: Turning Stress into Pain

The medical community has come a long way in the past few decades in the recognition and treatment of chronic pain.

Fibromyalgia, however, still stumps even the greatest minds. With continued research, though, more is being learned about it and about how it can be treated.

Recent developments have led to the publication of a series of papers published in the Pain Research and Treatment Journal. While some delve into the concept of utilizing exercise to overcome muscular deficiencies, others are making a direct connection between stress and the pain associated with fibromyalgia.

The central nervous system has been studied at great length for its part in the unusual pain processing that occurs in fibromyalgia patients. In addition to the concepts of pain processing and body reactions to pain stimuli, a paper by L.A. Low and P. Schweinhardt aims to promote discussion on the part played by distress and stress.

Connections between early traumas and the later onset of fibromyalgia were made much earlier. The authors believe, though, that the traumas may actually disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress system and, therefore, cause later emotional or mental stresses to be perceived as painful stimuli resulting in a chronic physical reaction.

Though some might be skeptical, the authors argue that today’s stress is not likely to be the cause of the pain, but would likely augment it. They suggest that it is the initial trauma, whether resulting in a physical injury or something more psychological, which could overload the system and be too much for the adaptive capacity of the human being at a young age.

For more information about the issue of Pain Research and Treatment, visit the medical article here.

Interventional Pain Associates strives to provide the best fibromyalgia treatment for our Austin patients. If you’d like to learn more about our services, give us a call.