Pain Intensity and Sensory Perception of Tender Points in Female Patients with Fibromyalgia: A Pilot Study

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a condition that courses with chronic pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, impaired quality of life and daily function. Due to the lack of blood, imaging or histological confirmatory tests, the diagnosis of FMS is based on the presence of widespread pain and presence of tender points (TPs). Our aim was to assess the pain pressure thresholds (PPTs) and subjective pain perception (SPP) of all 18 TPs while applying a normalized pressure in female patients with fibromyalgia. An exploratory descriptive pilot study was conducted in 30 female patients with FMS. Sociodemographic data (e.g., age, height, weight, and body mass index), clinical characteristics (e.g., years with diagnosis and severity of FMS), PPTs (assessed with an algometer), and SPP (assessed with a visual analogue scale) of all 18 TPs were collected. A comparative analysis side-to-side (same TP, left and right sides) and between TPs was conducted. No side-to-side differences were found (p < 0.05). Significant differences between all 18 TPs were found for PPTs (p < 0.0001), and SPP (p < 0.005) scores were found. The most mechanosensitive points were located in the second costochondral junction, the occiput, the trochanteric prominence; the most painful while applying a normalized pressure considering the TP and side were those located in the gluteus, trochanteric prominence, and supraspinatus. The current study describes PPTs and SPP, as assessed with algometry and visual analogue scale, respectively, of all 18 TPs in female patients with FMS. TPs exhibited significant PPTs and SPP differences between TP locations with no side-to-side differences.

Automated summary

The study assessed pain pressure thresholds (PPTs) and subjective pain perception (SPP) of all 18 tender points (TPs) in female patients with fibromyalgia. Significant differences were found in PPTs and SPP scores between TP locations, with no differences between sides.