| Cervical Spinal
Stenosis Abstract II
Patients With Fibromyalgia Have Quantifiable Neurological Deficits
Pamela S. Johnson¹ M.S./P.T., Helen Bourke-Taylor¹ O.T.R./L.,
Dan s. Heffez¹ M.D., Daniel G. Malone² M.D., Ruth E. Ross¹
Ph.D. and James W. Robertson¹ B.S. (Sponsored by Daniel Malone) ¹Chicago
Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch, Chicago, IL 60614 and ²University
of Wisconsin at Madison, Madison, WI 53706
 OBJECTIVE: An association has been proposed between
fibromyalgia and cervical myelopathy. As part of an investigation of a
possible neurological etiology of fibromyalgia, 42 consecutive patients
with fibromyalgia were evaluated using a series of standardized tests
of neurological function. We assessed upper extremity function including
coordination and dexterity (Jebsen-Taylor Hand Test and nine-hole peg
test) and strength (Jamar dynamometer and pinch gauge). Mobility and static
and dynamic balances were assessed using the Berg Balance Scale and timed
measures of ambulation. The median age of patients was 44 years. Patients
carried the diagnosis of fibromyalgia for a median of 6 years. Eighty-seven
percent of patients were female.
METHODS: Data analysis indicated that 68% of
patients had balance deficits as shown by the Berg Balance Scale, including
impaired functional reach (31%), tandem stance (24%) and single limb stance
(26%). The sample size allowed for the analysis of the Jebsen-Taylor hand
test of dexterity only for the 30 right-handed females; a statistically
significant slowing as compared to accepted standard of normal was identified
in 6 of 7 subtests (p<.01). Forty-six percent and 33% of patients fell
below the 25th percentile on nine-hole peg testing of the dominant and
non-dominant hands, respectively. Tests of grip strength and dexterity
showed a lack of the normal dominance pattern in 60% of patients.
CONCLUSION: We conclude that some patients with
fibromyalgia have neurological dysfunction that can be objectively quantified.
This database will allow for prospective objective analysis of the response
of fibromyalgia to the treatment of cervical myelopathy.
Presented at the National Fibromyalgia Research Association's Subgroups
in Fibromyalgia Symposium, September 26-27, 1999, in Portland,
Oregon.
National Fibromyalgia Research Association
PO Box 500, Salem, OR 97308
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