A recent article discussed the number of patients with Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) who also had Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). This article is an example of the confusion in medicine about both conditions. Believe it or not although the most common diagnosis for low back pain is non-specific low back pain, referring to sprains and strains of muscles and other soft tissue, there is no agreed method to look for and treat muscle generated low back pain. Patients with
Fibromyalgia on the other hand, although complaining of pain in muscles, are for the most part not considered to have muscles as the cause of their pain but rather problems in their nerves that are experienced as pain in muscles.

Ignoring muscles as a potential source of the pain in CLBP and FMS prevents some patients from achieving pain relief. We have successfully treated many patients with long standing back pain, complaints of diffuse tenderness, and elevated depression scores who had been diagnosed as having FMS. It has been shown that in many patients with FMS , specific muscles are a true source of pain and if they are properly treated the diffuse pain is diminished. In the same fashion, we have seen patients who have been diagnosed as having intractable LBP who are now also pain free years after their last treatment.

Do you CLBP and FMS?  Tell us about it.
 

April 23, 2010 - 8:57am — Posted by Dr. Norman Marcus