Clinical evidence for cervical myelopathy due to Chiari malformation and spinal stenosis in a non-randomized group of patients with the diagnosis of fibromyalgia
Two pages on PainSci cite Heffez 2004: 1. The Complete Guide to Chronic Tension Headaches 2. A Rational Guide to Fibromyalgia
PainSci notes on Heffez 2004:
Patients with fibromyalgia often also have symptoms of myelopathy (spinal cord impingement), but are often never assessed by a neurologist. In this study, 270 points with a fibromyalgia diagnosis only were given a thorough neurological assessment. Many of them had several clear signs and symptoms of myelopathy, most notably narrowing of the spinal canal, especially positioned in neck extension. The authors concluded: “Our findings indicate that some patients who carry the diagnosis of fibromyalgia have both signs and symptoms consistent with cervical myelopathy, most likely resulting from spinal cord compression.”
Other than a follow-up study by the authors and the work of Andrew Holman (see Using Dynamic MRI to Diagnose Neck Pain), there is no other research on this important topic.
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
OBJECTIVE: While patients with fibromyalgia report symptoms consistent with cervical myelopathy, a detailed neurological evaluation is not routine. We sought to determine if patients with fibromyalgia manifest objective neurological signs of cervical myelopathy.
METHODS: Two hundred and seventy patients, 18 years and older, who carried the diagnosis of fibromyalgia but who had no previously recognized neurological disease underwent detailed clinical neurological and neuroradiological evaluation for the prevalence of objective evidence of cervical myelopathy and radiological evidence of cerebellar tonsillar herniation (Chiari 1 malformation) or cervical spinal canal stenosis.
RESULTS: Patients were primarily women (87%), of mean age 44 years, who had been symptomatic for 8 years (standard deviation, 6.3 years). The predominant complaints were neck/back pain (95%), fatigue (95%), exertional fatigue (96%), cognitive impairment (92%), instability of gait (85%), grip weakness (83%), paresthesiae (80%), dizziness (71%) and numbness (69%). Eighty-eight percent of patients reported worsening symptoms with neck extension. The neurological examination was consistent with cervical myelopathy: upper thoracic spinothalamic sensory level (83%), hyperreflexia (64%), inversion of the radial periosteal reflex (57%), positive Romberg sign (28%), ankle clonus (25%), positive Hoffman sign (26%), impaired tandem walk (23%), dysmetria (15%) and dysdiadochokinesia (13%). MRI and contrast-enhanced CT imaging of the cervical spine revealed stenosis. The mean antero-posterior (AP) spinal canal diameter at C2/3, C3/4, C4/5, C5/6, C6/7 and C7/T1 was 13.5 mm, 11.8 mm, 11.5 mm, 10.4 mm, 11.3 mm and 14.5 mm respectively, (CT images). In 46% of patients, the AP spinal diameter at C5/6 measured 10 mm, or less, with the neck positioned in mild extension, i.e., clinically significant spinal canal stenosis. MRI of the brain revealed tonsillar ectopia>5 mm in 20% of patients (mean=7.1+/-1.8 mm), i.e., Chiari 1 malformation. CONCLUSION. Our findings indicate that some patients who carry the diagnosis of fibromyalgia have both signs and symptoms consistent with cervical myelopathy, most likely resulting from spinal cord compression. We recommend detailed neurological evaluation of patients with fibromyalgia in order to exclude cervical myelopathy, a potentially treatable condition.
related content
- “Using Dynamic MRI to Diagnose Neck Pain: The Importance of Positional Cervical Cord Compression (PC3),” Andrew Holman, PracticalPainManagement.com.
- “Positional cervical spinal cord compression and fibromyalgia: a novel comorbidity with important diagnostic and treatment implications,” Holman, Journal of Pain, 2008.
- “Fibromyalgia and Positional Cervical Cord Compression Differ Only By Autonomic Nervous System Consequences: A Double-Blinded, Prospective Study,” Holman, Arthritis Rheumatol, 2015.
- “Treatment of cervical myelopathy in patients with the fibromyalgia syndrome: outcomes and implications,” Heffez et al, European Spine Journal, 2007.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- Topical glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) and eccentric exercises in the treatment of mid-portion achilles tendinopathy (the NEAT trial): a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Kirwan 2024 Br J Sports Med.
- Placebo analgesia in physical and psychological interventions: Systematic review and meta-analysis of three-armed trials. Hohenschurz-Schmidt 2024 Eur J Pain.
- Recovery trajectories in common musculoskeletal complaints by diagnosis contra prognostic phenotypes. Aasdahl 2021 BMC Musculoskelet Disord.
- Cannabidiol (CBD) products for pain: ineffective, expensive, and with potential harms. Moore 2023 J Pain.
- Moderators of the effect of therapeutic exercise for knee and hip osteoarthritis: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. Holden 2023 The Lancet Rheumatology.