Is There Evidence for Surgery Triggering the Onset of Fibromyalgia Syndrome?

Abstract

Objectives: This study explored evidence for surgery serving as a trigger for the onset of the fibromyalgia syndrome [FMS].Methods: Rheumatology patients with [N = 144] and without FMS [N = 45, controls] constructed a timeline of all surgeries and pain three and 14 days post-operatively. Dates of onset of FMS and other rheumatological conditions were indicated allowing for analysis of the relationship between the incidence of surgery and condition onset.Results: The mean number of lifetime surgeries was not significantly different between the groups [FMS: 5.7, non-FMS: 4.9], and there were no differences in types of surgery. To test our hypothesis that surgical trauma was a precipitant for onset of FMS, we examined incidence of surgery in the year preceding symptom onset and in the year of symptom onset. In both timeframes, only about 20 percent of patients in both groups reported having a surgery, and the rates were not different between groups. There were no differences in pain between the two groups fo...