Fibromyalgia

Increased rates of fibromyalgia following cervical spine injury: A controlled study of 161 cases of traumatic injury. Buskila D, Neumannn L, Vaisberg G, Alkalay D, Wolfe F. Arthritis Rheum 1997;40:446-452.

In this Israeli study it was revealed that adults with neck injuries had a 13-fold increased risk of developing fibromyalgia within 1 year of their injury compared with adults with lower extremity fractures.

Trauma and fibromyalgia: is there an association and what does it mean? White KP, Carette S Seminars in Arthritis & Rheumatism 29(4):200-216, 2000.

There is some evidence supporting an association between trauma and fibromyalgia. More research is needed.

Upper cervical management of primary fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome cases. Amalu WC. Today’s Chiropractic May/June 2000 Pp.76-86.

This is a paper of 23 successive cases (5 male, 18 female from 11 to 76 years of age) of primary fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome suffering from 2 to 35 years.

Total care visits ranged from 20 to 48. All patients reported maintaining their improvements at 1 to 1 ½ years or more of follow up. After care every patient was ale to resume normal activities including full time work.

The author writes “Improvement in symptoms of 92-100% was achieved in both these syndromes subsequent to corrections of aberrant arthrokinematic function of the occipito-atlanto-axial complex…A causal relationship between biomechanical faults in the upper cervical spine, abnormal central neurophysiologic processing and subsequent peripheral neuropathophysiology, is suggested as the possible genesis of these two syndromes.”

The clinical syndrome of fibrositis. Wolfe F, American Journal of Medicine 1986 Vol. 81 (suppl 3A) Sept 29, 1986; 7-14

Researchers found that 45.9% of people who had fibromyalgia and went to a chiropractor experienced moderate to great improvement. In the same study, anti-depressant medication benefited only 36.3% of those studied and exercise was limited to a 31.8% rate of improvement.

Combined ischemic compression and spinal manipulation in the treatment of fibromyalgia: a preliminary estimate of dose efficacy. Hain S and Hain F. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics Vol 23 No. 4 May 2000 pp.225-230.

In this study of 15 women with fibromyalgia , 60% (9) responded very well to Chiropractic Care meaning they had at least a 50% reduction in pain symptoms.

The patients in the study had fibromyalgia for more than 3 months and were adult members of a regional Fibromyalgia Association. Each participant was adjusted during 30 visits with self-administered assessments taken at the beginning of the study, after 15 visits, 30 visits and 30 days after completion of the study. Researchers were looking for improvement in three areas; pain intensity, fatigue level and sleep quality. The improvement in all three areas continued after 1 month without chiropractic care.

Note from Dr. Koren: The quality of chiropractic care in this study was poor. Patients were adjusted twice a week whether they needed it or not. “Adjustments” (really manipulations) were rotary diversified to the neck and thoracic. I can only wonder what the results would have been if specific, scientific spinal adjustments were administered.

The effectiveness of chiropractic management of fibromyalgia patients: a pilot study. Blunt KL, Rajwani MH, and Guerriero RC. J Manipulative Physiological Therapy; 1997: 20(6):389-99.

Twenty-one rheumatology patients aged 25-70 suffering from fibromyalgia (muscular pain characterized by muscular tautness/stiffness, well-defined tender/trigger points, numbness, tingling, and pain) were studied to demonstrate chiropractic’s effect on this condition.

Chiropractic care consisted of 4 weeks of spinal care plus soft tissue and passive stretching at the chiropractors’ discretion. Chiropractic management improved patients’ cervical and lumbar ranges of motion, straight leg raise and reported pain levels.

Prospective, longitudinal study of service utilization and costs in fibromyalgia. Wolf F. Anderson J, Harkness, D et al. Arthritis and Rheumatism, 1997; 40, pp.1560-70.

In this study of 538 fibromyalgia patients it was revealed that chiropractors were one of the more common health care professionals visited by patients, averaging 30.4 visits per 100 patients (per six-month period).


Copyright 2004 Koren Publications, Inc. & Tedd Koren, D.C.