Myalgia in 30 Patients with Suspected Myopathy

Diana Lehmann Urban, Elizabeth Lehmann, Leila Motlagh Scholle and Torsten Kraya
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Diana Lehmann Urban: Department of Neurology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
Elizabeth Lehmann: Department of Neurology, University of Halle/Wittenberg, 06120 Halle/S., Germany
Leila Motlagh Scholle: Department of Neurology, University of Halle/Wittenberg, 06120 Halle/S., Germany
Torsten Kraya: Department of Neurology, University of Halle/Wittenberg, 06120 Halle/S., Germany

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-9

Abstract: Background: In patients with neuromuscular disorder, only little data of myalgia frequency and characterization exists. To date, only a weak correlation between pain intensity and pressure pain threshold has been found, and it remains enigmatic whether high pain intensity levels are equivalent to high pain sensitivity levels in neuromuscular disorders. Methods: 30 sequential patients with suspected neuromuscular disorder and myalgia were analyzed with regard to myalgia characteristics and clinical findings, including symptoms of depression and anxiety and pain- threshold. Results: A neuromuscular disorder was diagnosed in 14/30 patients. Muscular pain fasciculation syndrome (MPFS) without evidence for myopathy or myositis was diagnosed in 10/30 patients and 6/30 patients were diagnosed with pure myalgia without evidence for a neuromuscular disorder (e.g., myopathy, myositis, MPFS, polymyalgia rheumatica). Highest median pain scores were found in patients with pure myalgia and polymyalgia rheumatica. Pressure pain threshold measurement showed a significant difference between patients and controls in the biceps brachii muscle. Conclusion: Only a weak correlation between pain intensity and pressure pain threshold has been suggested, which is concordant with our results. The hypothesis that high pain intensity levels are equivalent to high pain sensitivity levels was not demonstrated.

Keywords: neuromuscular disorder; pain threshold; myalgia; muscular pain-fasciculation syndrome; myopathy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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