Fibromyalgia therapy

Abstract

Although we do not often consider chronic amplified pain syndromes as important in children, the incidence of these is surprisingly high. As many as 2%-6% of children, for example, may meet the criteria for fibromyalgia. Despite this, there are very few guidelines on the management of fibromyalgia in children. This is unfortunate in that some children may be very seriously involved and compromised by the condition. There is little evidence that medications play a useful role in the management of childhood fibromyalgia. A group in Philadelphia has developed an intense program of physical and occupational therapy for children with another pain syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome. In this issue of The Journal, Sherry et al from this program describe a similar approach in 64 children with fibromyalgia. The report is particularly useful, as it presents 1-year follow-up data in this chronic condition. The data in this report are optimistic. Children generally showed improvement in several objective measures, including pain, function, and quality of life. These improvements occurred in the context of no medications. The program is very resource-intense, involving up to 8 hours of therapy daily. It will be very interesting to see the degree to which this experience can be replicated in other centers. In any case, it is most encouraging to see these results in such a disabling condition. Article page 731▶ The Treatment of Juvenile Fibromyalgia with an Intensive Physical and Psychosocial ProgramThe Journal of PediatricsVol. 167Issue 3PreviewTo assess the short-term and 1-year outcomes of children with fibromyalgia treated with intensive physical and occupational therapy (PT/OT) and psychotherapy. Full-Text PDF Open Access