Research on Fibromyalgia finds the cause of the FMS Pain to be "REAL".   Research on fibromyalgia confirms that when patients say they are having pain, they are not kidding.  A brain-scan study found that a gentle finger squeeze produced measurable pain signals in the brains of patients.  The fibromyalgia research study found  that twice the squeezing force was required before healthy people felt the same levels of pain.

Many physicians say FMS is a specific, diagnosable chronic disease.  It affects more than two percent of Americans, particularly women of childbearing age, and is characterized by tender points, muscle stiffness, fatigue, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, and depression. Some practitioners feel FMS is rooted more in psychological and social factors than in physical, biological ones. 
 
Who were the Researchers Conducting the Fibromyalgia Study and What Does Reveal?
The Research study confirms scientifically what patients have been telling physicians in the medical community for years. “The brain scan technology gave us an opportunity to look at the neurobiology of tenderness (tender point), the hallmark of FMS,” says Daniel Clauw (M.D. 1985).  Dr. Daniel Clauw, U.M. professor of Internal Medicine, conducted the study at Georgetown University Medical Center. The National Institute of Health states, “These results, combined with work done by others, convinced us that some pathologic process is making these patients more sensitive.  For some reason, still unknown, there is a neurobiological amplification of their pain signals.”

How Was The Research Study  Conducted and What are the Results?
Leading author, Richard Gracely, Ph.D., professor of Internal Medicine and Neurology at U.M. Medical School,  and Dr. Clauw used a super-fast form of MRI brain imaging called functional MRI (FMRI) to test 16 fms patients and 16 people without the disease while, a device applied precisely calibrated rapidly pulsing pressure to their thumbnails.  Patients reporting pain from mild pressure had increased activity in 12 brain areas, while the control subjects feeling the same pressure had increased activity in only two areas of the brain. The study was supported in part by the National Fibromyalgia Research Association, the U.S. Army, and the National Institute of Health.

For more details, review the complete press release about the research study on fibromyalgia at: www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2002/fibromyalgia.htm