Pain and Sensitization in Voice Patients with Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a medical condition characterized by diffuse widespread chronic pain. It is the third most common musculoskeletal condition and is believed to be present in around 2-3% of the global population. Generalized musculoskeletal pain in FM also can be accompanied by muscle and/or joint stiffness, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and mood or cognitive abnormalities. One current theory is that the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia is a multi-input process that can be attributed to altered pain processing in the brain and nervous system, as well as psychological hypervigilance to pain. Central, peripheral, and psychosocial sensitization all impact the experience of pain in individuals with fibromyalgia. There is a handful of papers written relating fibromyalgia and voice disorders, yet associations between fibromyalgia and voice strain, higher VHI scores, muscle tension dysphonia, and other voice disorders have been reported. These relationships might be due to the muscle weakness observed in fibromyalgia patients, which can lead to dysfunction and strain of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles. There are, however, other interactions between FM and voice disorders that have not yet been investigated. For example, there are no reports of how central, peripheral, and psychosocial sensitization all impact the symptoms experienced by voice patients who have fibromyalgia and result in local nociceptive (neck, throat, and jaw) pain. Because treatment of voice disorders is highly individualized, voice patients whose symptoms are influenced by a chronic pain condition may require extra support to manage multiple sources of their symptoms and might even require modifications of standard voice therapy regimens. In this study, we hope to present a series of fibromyalgia patients receiving voice care who present with enhanced local pain and to explore the relationship between sensitization and voice disorders in fibromyalgia. A retrospective chart review will be performed and the presentation and treatment process of voice patients with fibromyalgia will be collected. A sex-and-age-matched control group will be composed of non-FM patients. Descriptive and inferential statistics will be used to analyze data.