Last updated: Mon, Aug 12, 2024
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) are two important soft tissue pain syndromes. Chronic widespread pain (CWP) is a symptom of each of these syndromes. Soft tissue pain syndromes range from local to regional to widespread. (By “regional” is meant a region of the body, for example the lower back or the upper back.) The local soft tissue pain conditions are generally believed to result from repetitive mechanical injury to tissue that is not sufficiently well-conditioned.1 However, physiologic processes in muscle tissue are known to produce these symptoms despite the degree of conditioning of the muscle. (Muscle Pain.)
Fibromyalgia syndrome is characterized by tender points in the muscles that are very commonly accompanied by insomnia, unrestful sleep, headache, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and often accompanied by depression and anxiety.
Myofascial pain syndrome is characterized by regional pain and stiffness with trigger points but with normal findings from neurological examination. Trigger points are hard tender nodules in the muscle that trigger pain in another area when irritated.
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Epidemiology of Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain (Last updated: Mon, Aug 12, 2024)
Causes of Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain (Last updated: Fri, Feb 7, 2025)
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Neuropathies (Last updated: Tue, Aug 13, 2024)