A case-control study examining the role of physical trauma in the onset of fibromyalgia syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether physical trauma may precipitate the onset of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). DESIGN: A case-control study was carried out to compare fibromyalgia out-patients with controls attending non-rheumatology out-patient clinics. METHOD: One hundred and thirty-six FMS patients and 152 age- and sex-matched controls completed a postal questionnaire about any physical trauma in the 6 months before the onset of their symptoms. RESULTS: Fifty-three (39%) FMS patients reported significant physical trauma in the 6 months before the onset of their disease, compared with only 36 (24%) of controls (P<0.007). There was no significant difference between FMS patients who had a history of physical trauma and those who did not have physical trauma with regard to age, sex, disease duration, employment status and whether their job at onset was manual. CONCLUSION: Physical trauma in the preceding 6 months is significantly associated with the onset of FMS.