Best practice & research. Clinical rheumatology
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This article reviews the available published knowledge about the diagnosis, pathophysiology and treatment of myofascial pain syndromes from trigger points. Furthermore, epidemiologic data and clinical characteristics of these syndromes are described, including a detailed account of sensory changes that occur at both painful and nonpainful sites and their utility for diagnosis and differential diagnosis; the identification/diagnostic criteria available so far are critically reviewed. ⋯ Current hypotheses on the pathophysiology of myofascial pain syndromes are presented, including mechanisms of formation and persistence of primary and secondary trigger points as well as mechanisms beyond referred pain and hyperalgesia from trigger points. Conventional and most recent therapeutic options for these syndromes are described, and their validity is discussed on the basis of results from clinical controlled studies.
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Chronic pain in fibromyalgia patients, together with its associated symptoms and co-morbidities, is now considered a result of dysregulated mechanisms in the central nervous system (CNS). As fibromyalgia patients often report sleep problems, the physiological processes that normally regulate sleep may be disturbed and overlap with other CNS dysfunctions. ⋯ Non-pharmacological therapies (including a thorough sleep assessment) can be considered in the first-line treatment of non-restorative sleep, although they have not yet been fully investigated in patients with fibromyalgia. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments should be used cautiously in patients with fibromyalgia, bearing in mind the patients' underlying disorders and the potential interactions of the therapies.
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Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol · Apr 2011
ReviewMultidisciplinary approach to fibromyalgia: what is the teaching?
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a rheumatic disease that is characterised by chronic musculoskeletal pain, stiffness, fatigue, sleep and mood disorder. FM patients demonstrate dysregulation of pain neurotransmitter function and experience a neurohormone-mediated association with sleep irregularities. ⋯ It has been shown that interdisciplinary treatment programmes lead to greater improvements in subjective pain and function than monotherapies. Physical exercise and multimodal cognitive behavioural therapy are the most widely accepted and beneficial forms of non-pharmacological therapy.
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Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol · Apr 2011
ReviewNon-pharmacological treatment of chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain.
Individuals with chronic widespread pain, including those with fibromyalgia, pose a particular challenge to treatment, given the modest effectiveness of pharmacological agents for this condition. The growing consensus indicates that the best approach to treatment involves the combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. ⋯ The evidence for decreasing pain, improving functioning and changing secondary symptoms is highlighted. Lastly, the methods by which exercise and CBT can be combined for a multi-component approach, which is consistent with the current evidence-based guidelines of several American and European medical societies, are addressed.
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Diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal pain is a major clinical challenge. Fundamental knowledge of nociception from deep somatic structures and related mechanisms of sensitisation have been characterised in animals but the translation into clinical sciences is still lacking. Development and refinement of mechanism-based quantitative sensory testing in healthy volunteers and pain patients have provided new opportunities to assess pain and hyperalgesic reactions. ⋯ Such a mechanistic approach can be used for differentiated diagnosis and for target validating new and existing analgesics. Mechanistic pain assessment of new compounds under development provides opportunities for target validation in proof-of-concept studies, which generate information to be used for selecting the most optimal patients for later clinical trials. New safe and efficient compounds are highly needed in the area of musculoskeletal pain management.