Mary Franz - Mar 17th, 2011
Fibromyalgia is a painful condition characterized by a range of symptoms that can seriously reduce a person's quality of life. A recent study set out to determine the relationship of physical activity and brain response to pain in fibromyalgia patients. The study was comprised of 34 participants, 16 with fibromyalgia and 18 without (control group).
Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to monitor brain responses to painful heat stimuli. While both the fibromyalgia patients and control groups had changes in brain response to pain, only the fibromyalgia patient results were of clinical significance.
All participants used self-report and accelerometer measures of physical activity and then underwent MRI testing of painful heat stimuli. A positive relationship was observed between physical activity and brain response in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulated cortex and posterior insula regions which are areas of the brain implicated in pain regulation. In areas of the brain associated with sensory aspects of pain, there was a negative relationship between physical activity and ability to sense pain. Decreased pain was associated with greater physical activity.
The researchers noted that there is a definite association between physical activity level and brain response or processing of pain. The results suggest that physical activity can have a positive effect on fibromyalgia patients by reducing response to pain. Chiropractic care emphasizes treating the patient as a whole rather than simply addressing individual symptoms, and some studies have shown that chiropractic care can benefit fibromyalgia patients. Proper chiropractic evaluation allows the chiropractor to determine all factors affecting a health condition, including sedentary lifestyle.
McLoughlin MJ, Stegner AJ. The Relationship between Physical Activity and Brain Responses to Pain in Fibromyalgia. The Journal of Pain: the official journal of the American Pain Society. 2011 Feb 16.
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