New research suggests Fibromyalgia may be a posture problem.

Fibromyalgia was a classification developed by rheumatologists to try to explain chronic pain patients they had trouble understanding.

The original classification spoke about the idea of tender points, sleep disturbances as well as diffuse pain that often did not correlate with medical exam findings.

Lyrica, which has been used as a sleep aid was and still is being used to mitigate the effects of the condition, with unpredictable results.

The book Cheating Mother Nature, what you need to know to beat chronic pain examined the original classification and found flaws which showed that foot problems and body asymmetry caused the shoulders to roll in asymmetrically, resulting in strain in the upper body, tender points and pain.

Now, a new study in the journal Spine is suggesting that people with Fibromyalgia have impaired trunk posture when compared to the non-Fibromyalgia diagnosed population.

Part of the problem in understanding the condition is that rheumatologists have little training in body mechanics and the function of the musculoskeletal system.   This has led to a classification that is often misused because Fibromyalgia is poorly diagnosed by the medical profession, as a result of their lack of training in the diagnosis and treatment of the musculoskeletal system, other than using a medicine-based approach such as Lyrica.

Chiropractors are well trained in the diagnosis and treatment of the condition, and often help many chronic pain sufferers who may have been labeled with having Fibromyalgia, polymyalgia or myofascial pain syndrome.  They may be a better first choice for the diagnosis and treatment of mechanical posture-based conditions such as this which often respond well to their methods of treatment.

Read more about this recent study below.

Women with Fibromyalgia Have Impaired Trunk Posture, Study Shows

MAY 2, 2018 Jose Marques Lopes, PhD

Women with fibromyalgia have altered trunk posture and are unable to maintain trunk position, a Spanish study shows.

The research, titled “Impaired Trunk Posture In Women With Fibromyalgia,” appeared in the journal Spine.

The symptoms of fibromyalgia, including chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, joint stiffness, chronic fatigue, and altered postural control, combined with a sedentary lifestyle, contribute to poor static posture in these patients.

Past studies have explored the link between altered trunk posture and the onset of fibromyalgia. Specifically, research has shown that patients with fibromyalgia have a higher percentage of spinal positional alterations, namely hyperkyphosis, commonly referred to as hunchback, and forward-pitched posture.

Although fibromyalgia is normally characterized using questionnaires or scales, trunk posture can be assessed with objective tools. Evaluating a person’s trunk posture could help doctors design more appropriate therapeutic strategies, the study’s authors said. Also, treating postural disorders could ease muscular and articular rigidity of the spine, which would limit pain and improve patients’ ability for daily and work activities.

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