September 2012 References  Devin J. Starlanyl   for http://www.sover.net/~devstar

Alonso-Blanco C, Fernández-de-Las-PeZas C, de-la-Llave-Rincón AI et al. 2012. Characteristics of referred muscle pain to the head from active trigger points in women with myofascial temporomandibular pain and fibromyalgia syndrome. J Headache Pain. [Aug 31 Epub ahead of print]. “Women with FMS had larger referred pain areas than those with TMD for sternocleidomastoid and suboccipital muscles.... Significant differences within COG coordinates of TrP referred pain areas were found in TMD, the referred pain was more pronounced in the orofacial region, whereas the referred pain in FMS was more pronounced in the cervical spine. This study showed that the referred pain elicited from active TrPs shared similar patterns as usual pain symptoms in women with TMD or FMS, but that distinct differences in TrP prevalence and location of the referred pain areas could be observed. Differences in location of referred pain areas may help clinicians to determine the most relevant TrPs for each pain syndrome in spite of overlaps in pain areas.”

Chelimsky G, Heller E, Buffington C et al. 2012. Co-morbidities of interstitial cystitis.

Front Neurosci. 6:114. Introduction: This study aimed to estimate the proportion of patients with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/BPS) with systemic dysfunction associated co-morbidities such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and fibromyalgia (FM)....Co-morbid complaints in the IC/BPS groups included gastrointestinal symptoms suggestive of IBS and dyspepsia, sleep abnormalities with delayed onset of sleep, feeling poorly refreshed in the morning, waking up before needed, snoring, severe chronic fatigue and chronic generalized pain, migraines, and syncope....Our findings mirror those of others in regard to IBS, symptoms suggestive of FM, chronic pain, and migraine. High rates of syncope and functional dyspepsia found in the IC/BPS groups merit further study to determine if IC/BPS is part of a diffuse disorder of central, autonomic, and sensory processing affecting multiple organs outside the bladder.[It is most unfortunate that myofascial trigger points, one of the main co-existing conditions of irritable bladder and bowel, as well as one of the main causes, was not included in this study. DJS]

da Silva LA, Kazyiama HH, de Siqueira JT et al. 2012. High prevalence of orofacial complaints in patients with fibromyalgia: a case-control study. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. [Aug 17 Epub ahead of print]. “Orofacial complaints including TMD may be present either as symptoms of FS or as a comorbidity associated with this condition. A comprehensive evaluation of patients with FS is necessary to identify the need for specific treatments for orofacial complaints. Future studies, especially those with longitudinal design, should clarify whether a cause-effect relationship exists between orofacial complaints and fibromyalgia. [It is most unfortunate that myofascial trigger points, one of the main co-existing conditions of TMJ, as well as one of the main causes, was not included in this study. DJS]

Dressler D. 2012.  Botulinum toxin therapy: its use for neurological disorders of the autonomic nervous system. J Neurol. [Aug 10 Epub ahead of print]. Botulinum toxin (BoNT) has been used for a number of non-muscular conditions including: achalasia, gastroparesis, sphincter of Oddi spasms, and unspecific esophageal spasms in gastroenterology and prostate disorders in urology,   various forms of bladder dysfunction (detrusor sphincter dyssynergia, idiopathic detrusor overactivity, neurogenic detrusor overactivity, urinary retention and bladder pain syndrome), pelvic floor disorders (pelvic floor spasms and anal fissures), hyperhidrosis (axillary, palmar, and plantar hyperhidrosis, diffuse sweating, Frey's syndrome) and hypersalivation (hypersalivation in Parkinsonian syndromes, motor neuron disease, neuroleptic use, and cerebral palsy). [Some of these conditions, such as many chronic pelvic complaints, can be relieved by trigger point injection.  It is unknown how many of the papers reviewed were actually dealing with that BoTox TrP therapy.  DJS]

Holla JF, van der Leeden M, Peter WF et al. 2012. Proprioception, laxity, muscle strength and activity limitations in early symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: Results from the CHECK cohort. J Rehabil Med. [Aug 29 Epub ahead of print]. “The results of the present study support the theory that in the absence of adequate proprioceptive input, lower muscle strength affects a patient's level of activities to a greater degree than in the presence of adequate proprioceptive input.”

Murphy SL, Phillips K, Williams DA et al. 2012. The role of the central nervous system in osteoarthritis pain and implications for rehabilitation. Curr Rheumatol Rep. [Aug 10 Epub ahead of print]. It has been known for some time that central nervous system (CNS) pain amplification is present in some individuals with osteoarthritis; the implications of this involvement, however, are just starting to be realized....This review article focuses on current literature describing CNS amplification in osteoarthritis by discussing peripheral sensitization, central sensitization, and central augmentation, and the clinical manifestation of central augmentation referred to as centralized pain, and offers considerations for rehabilitation treatment and future directions for research.

Reed BD, Harlow SD, Sen A et al. 2012. Relationship between vulvodynia and chronic comorbid pain conditions. Obstet Gynecol. 120(1):145-151. “To estimate the relationship among the presence of vulvodynia, fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. Validated questionnaire-based screening tests for the four pain conditions were completed by women with and without vulvodynia who were participating in the Michigan Woman to Woman Health Study, a longitudinal population-based survey in southeastern Michigan. Weighted population-based estimates of the prevalence and characteristics of participants with these chronic comorbid pain conditions were calculated using regression analyses....Chronic pain conditions are common, and a subgroup of women with vulvodynia is more likely than those without vulvodynia to have one or more of the three other chronic pain conditions evaluated. [It is most unfortunate that myofascial trigger points, one of the main co-existing conditions of vulvodynia as well as one of the main causes, was not included in this study. DJS]

Rhudy JL, Martin SL, Terry EL et al. 2012. Using multilevel growth curve modeling to examine emotional modulation of temporal summation of pain (TS-pain) and the nociceptive flexion reflex (TS-NFR). Pain. [Aug 21 Epub ahead of print]. “Emotion can modulate pain and spinal nociception, and correlational data suggest that cognitive-emotional processes can facilitate wind-up-like phenomena (i.e., temporal summation of pain)....These results imply that, at least in healthy humans, within-subject changes in emotions do not promote central sensitization via amplification of temporal summation. However, future studies are needed to determine whether these findings generalize to clinical populations (e.g., chronic pain).”

Rivera J, Rejas-Gutiérrez J, Vallejo MA et al. 2012. Prospective study of the use of healthcare resources and economic costs in patients with fibromyalgia after treatment in routine medical practice. Clin Exp Rheumatol. [Aug 4 Epub ahead of print]. “Treated patients with FM in daily practice improved their clinical status and were accompanied by a significant reduction in the cost of the illness. The extra cost of drugs is substantially compensated for by less use of other healthcare resources and fewer days off work.”

Roussou E, Ciurtin C. 2012. Clinical overlap between fibromyalgia tender points and enthesitis sites in patients with spondyloarthritis who present with inflammatory back pain. Clin Exp Rheumatol. [Aug 30 Epub ahead of print]. “To assess the extent of coexistence of inflammatory back pain (IBP) with fibromyalgia (FM) features in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA), and to assess the degree of overlap of FM tender points (TeP) and enthesitis sites (ES) in patients with SpA.....One third of patients with IBP fulfilled the criteria for FM. There is a significant degree of overlap between FM TeP and ES in patients with IBP.[Since many patients with FM have trigger points, and trigger points in the attachment areas cause enthesitis and enthesis, it would be helpful to know what percentage of these patients had TrPs and if the contracture from TrPs might cause the inflammation. DJS]

Saman Y, Bamiou DE, Gleeson M et al. 2012. Interactions between stress and vestibular compensation - A review. Front Neurol. 3:116. “Elevated levels of stress and anxiety often accompany vestibular dysfunction, while conversely complaints of dizziness and loss of balance are common in patients with panic and other anxiety disorders. The interactions between stress and vestibular function have been investigated both in animal models and in clinical studies. Evidence from animal studies indicates that vestibular symptoms are effective in activating the stress axis, and that the acute stress response is important in promoting compensatory synaptic and neuronal plasticity in the vestibular system and cerebellum. The role of stress in human vestibular disorders is complex, and definitive evidence is lacking. This article reviews the evidence from animal and clinical studies with a focus on the effects of stress on the central vestibular pathways and their role in the pathogenesis and management of human vestibular disorders.”

Swick TJ. 2011. Sodium oxybate: a potential new pharmacological option for the treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome. Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 3(4):167-178. “Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a common disorder, characterized by diffuse pain and tenderness, stiffness, fatigue, affective disorders and significant sleep pathology. A new set of diagnostic criteria have been developed which should make it easier for a busy clinician to diagnose the condition. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medications for the treatment of FMS have, for the most part, been geared to modulate the pain pathways to give the patient some degree of relief. A different kind of pharmacological agent, sodium oxybate (SXB), is described that is currently approved for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy in patients with narcolepsy. SXB, an endogenous metabolite of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-hydroxybutyrate, is thought to act independently as a neurotransmitter with a presumed ability to modulate numerous other central nervous system neurotransmitters. In addition SXB has been shown to robustly increase slow wave sleep and decrease sleep fragmentation. Several large clinical trials have demonstrated SXB's ability to statistically improve pain, fatigue and a wide array of quality of life measurements of patients with fibromyalgia. SXB is not FDA approved to treat fibromyalgia.”

Wong SH, Ji T, Hong Y et al. 2012. Foot forces induced through tai chi push-hand exercises.

J Appl Biomech. [Aug 23 Epub ahead of print]. “This study indicates that push-hand exercises generate lower vertical forces than those induced by walking, bouncing, jumping and Tai Chi gait, and that the greatest plantar force is located in the toe area which may have an important application in balance training particularly for older adults.”