Trauma and fibromyalgia: Is there an association and what does it mean?

Objectives: The primary objective is to review current research with respec t to the role of trauma in fibromyalgia (FM). A secondary objective is to h ypothesize which steps need to be taken, first to determine whether such an association truly exists, and second to clarify what such an association m ight mean. Methods: An extensive literature review was undertaken, including Medline f rom 1979 to the present. Results: The strongest evidence supporting an association between trauma an d FM is a recently published Israeli study in which adults with neck injuri es had greater than a 10-fold increased risk of developing FM within 1 year of their injury, compared with adults with lower extremity fractures (P=.0 01), Several other studies provide a hypothetical construct for such an ass ociation. These include studies on (1) postinjury sleep abnormalities; (2) local injury sites as a source of chronic distant regional pain; and (3) th e concept of neuroplasticity. There are, however, several primary arguments against such an association: (1) FM may not be a distinct clinical entity; (2) FM may be a psychological, rather than physical, disease; (3) the evid ence supporting any association is limited and not definitive; (4) the Isra eli study, itself, has some methodological limitations; and (5) other facto rs may be more important than the injurious event in determining chronic sy mptoms after an acute injury. Conclusions: Although there is some evidence supporting an association betw een trauma and FM, the evidence is not definitive. Further prospective stud ies are needed to confirm this association and to identify whether trauma h as a causal role. Semin Arthritis Rheum 29:200-216. Copyright (C) 2000 by W .B. Saunders Company.